Essay Example on The Nursing and Midwifery Council The essential Care

The Data Protection Act The Data Protection Act is a legislation that was passed on in 1998 by parliament defining ways in which information about people can be used handled and passed legally The main purpose of this act is to protect individuals against the misuse or abuse of information about them or another person This law aims to promote quality standards in the handling of personal information and the individual's right to privacy This act applies to anyone holding information about living individuals this can be in every health and social care sector Data protection laws protect your privacy and ensure that your personal data is processed fairly and lawfully All personal data must only be kept for the time needed for the purpose of that information Individuals have the right to access their own data and to have it removed if they wish to do so It is vital to keep records and information about individuals up to date in order to provide accurate current and correct information concerning the individual's condition issues and the care required for all individuals All records must be signed and dated Maintenance of record keeping ensures that the individual's needs are being met and may reduce the likelihood of lack of care towards the individual If a service or organisation fails to follow 

The Data Protection Act or to keep up to date with records about their patients clients this could lead to service receiving penalties and damaging the organisations reputation When changing anyone s personal information or care plans the service user must be notified and acknowledge what changes are being made Effective record keeping by health and social care staff can ensure that a high standard of health and social care is being provided to them All information written must be clear and relevant and should never be discussed outside of the work place If an individual's personal information is discussed outside of work to someone who is not their colleague supervisor or manager then it is breaching the rules and conducts of this law and will be exploiting the service user s confidentiality and privacy The Data Protection Act influences the healthcare provision as it builds and maintains a relationship of trust between the professional and service user This means positive experiences for patients Another example of how The Data Protection Act influences health provision is that it gives the staff strict rules to keep information secure and private This will prevent any information being handed out to third parties or any other organisations which would go against patients wishes This legislation keeps and maintains the professionalism of the health care provision If The Data Protection Act is not followed serious fines and penalties may be given if not followed For example in 2011 Sony was fined 250k for breaching The Data Protection Act This happened when hackers broke into the PS3 game console system to access personal information such as names addresses and credit card details In a health care related example a GP surgery breached The Data Protection Act as the manager illegally accessing almost 2000 patient medical records He was fined 1 345 along with prosecution costs References http www cqc org uk about us our purpose role who we are 21 11 17 6 45pm https www nmc org uk about us our role 21 11 17 7 16pm https www nibusinessinfo co uk content data protection penalties and enforcement 21 11 17 8 15pm https www gov uk data protection 21 11 17 8 24pm https www nmc org uk globalassets sitedocuments nmc publications nmc code pdf 21 11 17 8 30pm http www thedrum com news 2013 01 24 sony fined 250k over serious data protection act breach 21 11 17 9pm http www nationalhealthexecutive com Health Care News nhs breaches patient confidentiality six times a day 21 11 17 9 12pm