Information governance - Your information

Information is a vital asset, both in terms of the clinical management of individual patients and the efficient organisation of services and resources. NHS NEW Devon CCG aims to safeguard patient confidentiality and maintain data security whilst empowering staff within NHS NEW Devon CCG to perform their role using key information governance principles.

Information governance (IG) is the way in which the NHS handles all of its information, in particular the personal and sensitive information relating to patients and employees.

It provides a framework to ensure that personal information is dealt with legally, securely, efficiently and effectively, in order to deliver the best possible care. 

It also offers NHS employees a clear structure to deal consistently with the many different rules about how information is handled, including those set out in:

• The Data Protection Act 1998;
• The Common Law Duty of Confidentiality;
• The Confidentiality NHS Code of Practice;
• The NHS Care Record Guarantee for England;
• The Social Care Record Guarantee for England;
• The Information Security NHS Code of Practice;
• The Records Management NHS Code of Practice;
• The Freedom of Information Act 2000.

Ensuring that our staff and clinical leaders are suitably equipped to manage this important area of work is a key priority for NHS NEW Devon CCG and integral to our capacity to deliver on plans to build local trust. The penalties for breaking data protection and associated laws can be significant:

• The penalties for breaking data protection and associated laws can be significant. Organisations can be fined up to £500,000 for each breach or subject to other sanctions
• Individuals responsible for breaches may be subject to disciplinary action that can result in dismissal
• Staff morale can be hit – and reputations which organisations have worked hard to build over many years can take even longer to rebuild among local communities.

Simple oversights can lead to these consequences:    

On 6 August 2012 a monetary penalty of £175,000 was issued to Torbay Care Trust after sensitive personal information relating to 1,373 employees was published on the trust’s website.

Fair Processing notice

A Fair Processing notice is a written statement that individuals are given when information is collected about them. As a minimum, a privacy notice should tell people who we are, what we are going to do with their information and who it will be shared with.

Your information: what you need to know

Care.Data: Better Information Means Better Care

Sharing information in the NHS helps ensure that the quality and safety of services is consistent across the country. It can also highlight different diseases and conditions that may require more NHS investment. This is an opportunity for each of us to help the NHS provide high quality care for all. You'll find more information about NHS Englands Care.Data initiative below.

Information governance statement of compliance

The information governance statement of compliance (IG SoC) is the process by which organisations enter into an agreement with HSCIC for access to the NHS National Network (N3).

NHS NEW Devon CCG have gained approval status. More information can be found within the certificate below: