Essay On Confidentiality In Health And Social Care

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Confidentiality is a major topic within care environments. When it comes to deciding what information is shared and who it is shared amongst can be difficult. Confidential information, is information that is ‘not to be told to anyone’ (The Open University, 2015, p. 58). Information that is sensitive or not publicly known is confidential, also if information is given by a person who is in a setting where confidentially is expected then that information should remain private and not shared with others. It can be very difficult for a staff member to find the balance between knowing what information is confidential and appropriate information that needs to be shared between the staff team. In reality, employees do have to pass on certain information which is why the Health and Social Care Information Centre published guidelines that staff can follow regarding confidentiality (The Open University, 2015, p. 59). There are five rules within these guidelines, firstly, it states that any information about a person is to be …show more content…

A way of making each person understand what is being asked of them is to offer them a leaflet explaining that they are consenting to their information being shared and why their consent is needed. Also, another form of consent is implied consent, this is when an individual is unable to explicitly say that they want their information to be shared but their behaviour displays that they are willing for their information to be shared. In the study of Anwar, it is clear to see that his GP did not have any consent off Anwar, the GP just assumed that Anwar would be okay about being referred to the diabetes clinic. Although the doctor did not have any consent off Anwar, the GP passed on the information to the diabetes clinic for Anwar’s safety (The Open University, 2014,

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