It is important that you do not disclose anything about the individual that they may wish to keep private, unless it is appropriate to do so.
This is because individuals have a right to privacy. You must keep things about an individual private, unless it is appropriate to disclose it because it concerns their wellbeing.
Things you should keep private could be things like their:
If a person raises their concerns to you, it is good practice to make them aware that you cannot guarantee that the information will not be repeated, especially if the information affects an individual’s wellbeing.
Concerns may be shared with you from an individual’s family member or an individual’s friend. It could be the individual you are supporting that raises concerns.
- You should not refuse to listen to another person’s concerns on the basis of confidentiality.
- Their views or the information they provide might be helpful in the support of the individual.
- The key point is that the information will remain confidential and only shared with your manager.
The Data Protection Act 2018 controls how personal information is used by organisations and the government. The Data Protection Act 2018 is the UK’s implementation of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
Everyone responsible for using personal data has to follow strict rules called ‘data protection principles.‘
If you need to pass any information on, you have to get the consent of the individual first.
You also have to inform the individual you are passing on the information. This is known as “informed consent”. It usually applies to situations where information is passed on as a referral for additional professional care and support.
The individual will need to be made aware of why you are sharing information and how not giving their permission is likely to affect the care or services they receive.
The Common Law Duty of Confidentiality…
…states that if a worker wishes to disclose an individual’s personal information to anyone outside of the support team, they should first seek the consent of that individual.
If they fail to do this, it is a breach of confidentiality.
“To disclose” is the action of making secret information known to another person.
In some situations, it will be appropriate to disclose something about the individual that they may wish or ask to keep private.
These are some examples.
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