Caldicott Guardian

What is a Caldicott Guardian?

A Caldicott Guardian is a senior person within an organisation responsible for protecting the confidentiality of patient data and enabling appropriate information sharing.

The background

Initially published in 1997 and later updated in 2013, Dame Fiona Caldicott’s review of information governance in the health and care system looks at creating an appropriate balance between the protection of patient information and the use and sharing of information to improve patient care.

The independent review followed a request from the Secretary of State for Health and the following principles in the review are summarised below:

1. Justify the purpose(s) for using patient data.
2. Don't use patient-identifiable information unless it is absolutely necessary.
3. Use the minimum necessary patient-identifiable information.
4. Access to patient-identifiable information should be on a strict need to know basis.
5. Everyone should be aware of their responsibilities to maintain confidentiality.
6. Understand and comply with the law, in particular the Data Protection Act.
7. The duty to share information can be as important as the duty to protect patient confidentiality.

INRstar adheres to Caldicott principles

In accordance with the principles and guidance laid out in the report we have nominated a senior member of the Sullivan Cuff Software Ltd team as our Caldicott Guardian.

Michael Barritt, our Managing Director and registered Caldicott Guardian ensures our products adhere to the original Caldicott principles, set out in The Caldicott Report in 1997, as well the additional principle on Information Sharing set out in the Information Governance Review published in 2013.

Our information security certifications, ISO 27001 and Information Governance Toolkit (Ref:8HJ69) demonstrate our commitment to protecting the confidentiality of patient data and enabling appropriate information sharing.

Go to Gov.uk for a copy of the Caldicott review