The overarching reasons for keeping records are:

Legislation gives people rights to privacy and to access information, including new legislation that came into effect from May 2018. We look at this under the legislation section. It is important that you understand and comply with this legislation which will be covered in your organisation’s policies and procedures.

Every organisation is different and has their own systems. You must understand what records your employer keeps and how to keep them secure.

Records are part of communication.

They are defined as information created, received and maintained as evidence and information by an organisation or person to meet business and legal requirements.

They include:

Poor record- keeping can put the indivituals you support, you yourself, your colleagues and your employer at risk.

These are some examples:

This may happen if you are travelling for work to meetings and to visit people. You must not leave confidential documents in the car and take care when travelling on public transport. If you work in an individual’s home, documents relating to their care, for example, care plans, risk assessments and medical records, need to be kept in a secure place in their home.

If you take documents home, they must be kept locked in a secure place where they cannot be accessed by anyone else in your home. You must have permission to take any documents out of the workplace or an individual’s home. The same principle applies for using a laptop or personal devices that access the internet at home, for example, your mobile phone. Other people must not be able to see anything that is private relating to your work on these. 

Remember, all information that is sensitive is called ‘Confidential’. This includes…

So, you can see, its pretty serious stuff we are talking about. But don’t worry, this course will help and your manager has an important role in making sure you are supported and competent. The registered manager in your business has a duty to regularly review record-keeping practice and ensure that records are regularly checked to ensure good practice. Concerns about this can be raised at supervision or during team meetings.