Confidentiality

• Explain the right individuals have to confidentiality.


  This means : keeping personal information about individuals secure/private and only ever shared on a “need to know” basis.

  This is important because -

  • care workers often have very sensitive and private information about service users
  • service users might be vulnerable and trusting of those caring from them
  • discussing private matters so others can overhear is unprofessional
  • helps service users trust their carers
• Examples of right to confidentiality

  Any from -

  Not discussing patients in public places where private information can be overheard, keeping information secure / locked away in cabinets or password protected if on computer, sharing info on a need-to-know basis, using private room to discuss treatment or care, not gossiping to friends or family
• Times when confidentiality needs to be broken

  When the individual...

  • intends to harm themselves (saying they are going to commit suicide, where a person has mental health problems and threatens to or are harming themselves
  • intends to harm others (person threatens to seriously injure someone, when the person has mental health problems where their behaviour is a risk)
  • is at risk of harm from others (suspected child sex abuse, a case of domestic violence)
  • is at risk of carrying out a serious offence (terrorism/drug dealing)