Responsibilities of Employers and Employees in Ensuring Confidentiality

Responsibilities of Employers in Ensuring Confidentiality

Employers have a legal duty to utilise confidentiality policies that safeguard sensitive data regarding health and social care.
Employers are obliged to provide sufficient and regular training on confidentiality to their employees. This will equip them with the necessary knowledge about how to handle discreet data.
Employers must regularly monitor compliance with data protection laws including the Data Protection Act. Non-compliance can result in serious legal consequences for both the organisation and individuals involved.
Employers must set up secure systems for storing confidential data. These systems should protect against potential security breaches, including those relating to cyber security.
Employers should maintain an open dialogue with employees about confidentiality. They should foster a culture of respect for confidential data and patients’ privacy.

Responsibilities of Employees in Ensuring Confidentiality

Every employee is ethically and legally bound to maintain the confidentiality of personal and sensitive information that they have access to in their role.
Employees must take extra care to ensure confidential information is not disclosed either resourcefully, accidentally or maliciously.
Employees are required to understand and adhere to the Data Protection Act. This includes the principles which state personal data should be used lawfully and transparently, and for specified explicit purposes.
They need to understand the consequences of breaching confidentiality. This could include disciplinary proceedings, loss of job and legal action.
Emphasise the importance of reporting potential or recognized breaches of confidentiality to a supervisor or manager. This should be done as soon as they become aware of any breach.

Collaborative Duty for Confidentiality

It is the collective responsibility of both employers and employees to ensure the safe handling of personal and sensitive data. Employers should set the framework, but it needs to be actioned by the employees.
A robust Culture of Confidentiality can be nurtured when the employer and employee work cooperatively. All staff members must respect each other’s privacy, as well as that of the service users they care for.
Regular review and monitoring sessions should be held to address potential risks, incident reports and to give an update on new data handling practices.
Establish and maintain a secure electronic communication system. All communications, especially those containing patient data, should be handled via secure channels.