Current demands placed on the Health and Social Care sector means that healthcare organisations are expected to find efficiencies in all they do, to increase levels of care whilst reducing costs. This has resulted in a greater reliance on digital technology, which has been referenced by both the CQC’s and NHS’s projections. The future of care will pivot on multidisciplinary agencies being able to share data and information relating to a client’s care and wellbeing.

The digital evolution of the care sector will place greater importance on Information Governance (IG) and how sensitive information is safeguarded. The intricacies of care plans mean that huge amounts of personal information will be routinely shared with entrusted parties, but relying on new methods. Confidentiality is an essential principle of care and therefore security must be high, regardless of the chosen method of communication.

Surely no care organisation would want to break the trust of those within their care, commit an offence or face court proceedings through negligence or error. Everyone working within an organisation that holds information identifiable to an individual should be aware of their responsibilities in regards to Information Governance.

To help care staff we have created a summary of Information Governance in Healthcare as a free download, which details the Caldicott Principles and offers some simple considerations for best practices in an emerging digital care environment.