Handling Information in Health and Social Care

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Handle information in Health and Social Care settings. Outcome 1 Understand the need for secure handling of information in Health and Social care settings 1.1 Identify what legislation relates to recording, storing and sharing information in health and social care settings. Information that is given to employer/manager is all subject to the Data Protection Act 1998, which covers medical records, social service records, credit information, local authority information and many more. Anything relating to a person, whether fact or opinion, is personal data. Anyone processing personal data must comply with the either enforceable principles of good practice laid down in the Data Protection Act 1998. These say that data must be: * Fairly and lawfully processed. * Processed for limited purposes * Adequate, relevant and not excessive * Not kept for longer than necessary * Processed in accordance with the data subject’s rights * Kept secure * Not transferred to countries without adequate protection. 1.2 What is the importance of having secure systems for recording and storing information in a health and social care settings. Once something is written down or entered into a computer, it becomes a permanent record. For this reason, you must be very careful what you do with any files, charts, notes or any other written records. They must always be stored somewhere locked and safe. You should never take people’s personal files outside of your work premises if you work in a residential or hospital setting. Records that are kept on computers must also be kept and protected. Your workplace will have policies relating to records on computers, which will include access being restricted by a password, and the computer system being protected by a firewall against the possibility of people hacking into it. Outcome 2 Know how to

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