Data Protection - Annexe 1 - Compliance Aims

NHS Fife aims to:

1. Legally protect the rights of individuals when their data is being processed. The Data Protection Act (1998) applies only to “personal data” held about identifiable living individuals. This includes: information held on computer; within structured manual files; email; CCTV images (including video/audio taped interviews, photographs); telephone answering machines, notebooks, diaries etc.
2. Ensure that information is shared between those authorised to do so for legitimate purposes i.e. health purposes and crime detection.
3. The Data Protection Act (1998) provides for the need to override confidentiality in certain situations. These include the statutory requirement to release (to the appropriate authorities) information regarding communicable diseases, information relating to the Prevention of Terrorism Act and the Road Traffic Act. NHS Fife must comply with this.
4. The Data Protection Act (1998) also upholds the need to override confidentiality in situations where there is a duty to report to the appropriate authorities, information relating to serious crime. This is deemed to include offences against children and serious offences against the person.
5. The Access to Health Records Act (1990), will apply to those applications for access records of a deceased patient. NHS Fife will ensure that the applicant has appropriate grounds for access prior to releasing the information, and the normal subject access request procedure will be followed.

An Equality & Diversity Rapid Impact Assessment has been completed for this procedure. No negative impacts have been identified.