CQC report – How healthcare organisations manage personal data

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has published The right information, in the right place, at the right time: A study of how healthcare organisations manage personal data.

According to the CQC, “Good information governance means having efficient and effective structures, policies and practices in place to ensure the confidentiality and security of the records of patients and service users. In this study, we looked explicitly at the quality of information and how information about individuals (both clinical and non-clinical) is used to shape their care, because these are also key measures of good information governance and have an impact on the quality of care that patients experience.”

The report looks at:

• the policies and practices that ensure patient records are kept confidential and secure
• the quality of information about patients and their care
• how information is shared between healthcare organisations and patients and their carers
• how information about individual patients is used to shape their care

The CQC found that the basic systems for managing personal information in healthcare organisations have improved in the last three years, especially in light of concerns about the security of personal information. The report shows that NHS trusts have improved their systems for handling patient information securely, confidentially and with patients’ consent. However, more progress needs to be made to ensure that all healthcare organisations meet the Government’s expectations and priorities for managing health information.

Download the report The right information, in the right place, at the right time: A study of how healthcare organisations manage personal data here.

‘Tweeting’ breaches patient confidentiality

According to an article in the Daily Telegraph (24 September 2009), research in the Journal of the American Medical Association found examples of trainee doctors sharing private patient stories and details on the Internet on networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook.

Healthcare organisations should check their information governance policies to ensure that it is clear that no-one should be posting information online that might breach patient or any other form of confidentiality.

Read the Daily Telegraph article here.

NHS Governance Study day, 17 November, London

Join expert speakers for “an essential, one-stop guide to the ins and outs of NHS governance.”

The Health Service Journal is running eight key information sessions, over one study day, on 17 November 2009 in Central London.

The information sessions/speakers are: 

- Linda Hutchinson, Director of Registration at the Care Quality Commission to gain a comprehensive overview of what this new era of regulation will mean for NHS governance systems
 - Get to grips with quality assurance – hear from Lynn Betts, an Independent Consultant from Quality Governance Limited, and the first ever NHS Director of Governance
 - Gain a comprehensive understanding of clinical, corporate and information governance and examine how they interact from Stuart Emslie, Assistant Director of the Centre for Corporate Ethics at Birkbeck London University and Visiting Fellow at Loughborough University Business School
 - Join a team of board level development experts – Jay Bevington and Sai Shanmugarajah from Deloitte and Deborah Arnot and Deborah Chafer from NHS North West Leadership Academy – and hear what more can be done to support board level development in your organisation
 - Understand what good integrated governance looks like and how it works in practice. Hear from Brian Terry, Head of Integrated Governance for NHS Gloucestershire about the fundamental differences between the current and historic systems of governance
- Gain an insight into how the delicate tensions of PCT governance can be balanced and what PCT governance will look like post-divestment with a presentation from Enfield PCT
- Explore the new demands on governance systems which come with the achievement of FT status in a session devoted to securing your understanding of FT governance
 - With NHS governance systems increasingly having to transcend organisational boundaries, the systems and processes of governance between organisations have never been more important. Hear how to overcome the challenges of governance between organisations from Dr John Bullivant, Director of the Good Governance Institute

According to the HSJ, this essential day gives you the unique opportunity to really understand the ins and outs of NHS governance.

For further information on the event, and to secure your place, click here.

NHS Governance 2009 conference a success

The Health Service Journal’s (HSJ) annual NHS governance conference held over 3-days at Earls Court in London this week attracted over 300 delegates across the different days, with some attending two or all three days.

The conference was a great success with a host of excellent speakers plus good audience participation during panel sessions, etc.

The general state of chaos and confusion around governance and management was a key issue to come out of the event. The speaker from the new Care Quality Commission added to the confusion by saying that “governance relates to consistent management, cohesive policies, processes and decision rights for a given area of responsibility.” This is a new definition that does not align with the myriad definitions already in place in various NHS guidance documents, and does not conform to key thinking about governance. Interestingly, another speaker coined a ‘new’ governance term at the event. Professor Paul Stanton spoke about “intelligent governance.” Healthcare Governance Review looks forward to the day that the subject of governance in the NHS will be addressed ‘intelligently’ by the Department of Health and associated agencies and bodies, including the new Care Quality Commission!

The presentations from the event should be posted on the web for free download by 3 July. When available, download the presentations by clicking here.

Information governance – reducing costs and improving clinical decision-making

According to the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), information is the life blood of any modern-day business. Companies succeed or falter based on the reliability, availability, and security of their information. But are most companies properly governing how their information is used, shared, and analysed? The EIU recently conducted a survey of senior executives around the world on the benefits, challenges, and risks associated with developing an enterprise-wide information governance strategy.

The information that companies are busily generating, collecting, and mining offers a wealth of potential benefits. However, its use carries substantial risks. As a result, some organizations are forming formal governance bodies to create strategies, policies, and procedures surrounding the distribution of information inside and outside the firm. The EIU has produced a paper that seeks to better understand how companies are creating crossfunctional governance bodies to create strategies and policies around corporate information.

“Good information governance can help companies solve a fundamental challenge within their organizations – how to balance the costs, risks and value of information assets across the enterprise,” said Chuck Hollis of EMC, a global information management consultancy. “As the EIU research indicates, implementing an information governance program can result in companies seeing improved operations and cost control, increased visibility of information flows across the enterprise and an overall better organizational preparedness for meeting compliance mandates. The senior leadership at corporations worldwide should make this a key business priority.”

Health care organisations feature in the report. Catholic Health, for example, a US$8bn not-for-profit organisation, which owns and operates 76 hospitals and 42 long-term care facilities in the US, says that a company-wide information governance strategy leads to better clinical decision-making. That was the key driver behind their four-year effort to centralise core business functions, such as payroll, procurement, contracting and accounting. Now nearing completion, the effort began with the creation of an information governance committee that comprised operations and technical representatives as well as experts from the clinical, financial and strategic groups, which developed standards for new processes and technology requirements. Chief information officer (CIO) Michael Rowan says that information flow improved dramatically. The consolidation, he adds, saves the company US$75m annually and improves the overall level of care that the organisation provides. “If a patient gets treated at different hospitals in our system and the doctors don’t realise that he or she has diabetes, they could put him or her on an ineffective course of treatment,” explains Mr Rowan. Since clinical information has been centralised, doctors can now track a patient’s history regardless of which CHI facility has treated them. “You can make much more intelligent or even life-saving decisions if you have good information.”

The paper is available for free download here.

In ‘God’s country’, even His clerics must observe information governance rules regarding patient confidentiality

An unholy row appears to have broken out in Scotland between the Catholic Church and NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde Health Board after the Board recently ended the practice of giving priests and ministers access to patient lists on the grounds it breached patient confidentiality.

According to an article in the Sunday Herald today (22 March 2009), “Clerics in the Glasgow region used to have the right to find out whether their parishioners were being treated in hospital. However, the health board has revised its rules on accessing lists because of fears it may breach the rights of patients. The board’s information governance officer instructed health record staff in December 2008 not to pass on ward lists. Health chiefs believed the practice may have contravened the Data Protection Act 1998.”

The full Sunday Herald article can be accessed here.

Forthcoming HSJ Governance Challenge and 5th annual NHS Governance conference

Looking ahead to 2009 and beyond, immense challenges can be seen which will test even the most robust NHS governance systems. The Health Service Journal (HSJ) has lined up a number of exciting events in March and June. Click here for further information on the HSJ Governance Challenge and pre-study day Fundamentals of NHS Governance (24/25 March 2009 in Birmingham) and click here for details about the 5th annual HSJ NHS Governance Conference (23-25 June, London). Don’t miss these important events.

FREE on your PC – A 45 minute online HSJ Information Assurance seminar, 12 February 2009

The Health Service Journal (HSJ) is running a free 45 minute online Quality Information Assurance seminar at 09.30 on Thursday 12 February. All you need to take part is a broadband-connected computer.

The seminar will provide an understanding of Governance, Risk and Compliance (GRC) and will explore the implications of Darzi’s Review and the Health Informatics Review.

Leading experts will discuss the pertinent and timely issues you face and offer strategies to ensure your information governance, compliance and risk procedures are robust and fit-for-the-future.

According to the HSJ, the following expert panellists will be joining in the discussion:

Professor Michael Thick, Chief Clinical Officer, NHS Connecting for Health
Clare Sanderson, Director of Information Governance, NHS Information Centre for health and social care
John Madsen, Data Quality Programme Manager, Standards and Classifications, NHS Information Centre for health and social care

As the HSJ says, “Don’t miss out – Register your free place today, at: www.hsj-informationassurance.com“

View presentations from HSJ conference ‘Intelligent information for effective governance’

The Health Service Journal conference Intelligent information for effective governance, held on 22 January 2009 in London, attracted around 170 people and was a great success.

Speaker presentations are now available for viewing by clicking here.

Fundamentals of NHS governance – forthcoming one day Health Service Journal event

Watch out for a forthcoming one day event in Birmingham covering the fundamentals of NHS governance organised by the Health Service Journal (HSJ).

Healthcare Governance Review has seen a draft of the programme for the event, which includes:

- The Care Quality Commission and regulation
- Quality assurance
- Clinical, corporate and information governance
- Integrated governance
- Board level development
- PCT governance
- Foundation trust governance
- Governance between Organisations

Speakers will include:

- Professor Paul Stanton, Northumbria University
- Dr Jay Bevington, Deloitte
- John Wilson, NED, East Riding and Yorkshire PCT
- Stuart Emslie, editor, Healthcare Governance Review

Further information, when it becomes available, can be found here.

NHS Code of Practice on Records Management updated

The two-part Records management: NHS code of practice is a guide to the required standards of practice in the management of records for those who work within or under contract to NHS organisations in England. It is based on current legal requirements and professional best practice.

The code provides a key component of information governance arrangements for the NHS. This is an evolving document because standards and practice covered by the code will change over time and will be subject to regular review and updated as necessary. As a result of a review, part 2 only of the code in relation to the retention schedules has been updated in light of guidance and advice given from the NHS and professional best practice. The updated part 2 was published on 8 January 2009.

The guidelines contained in this code of practice apply to NHS records of all types (including records of NHS patients treated on behalf of the NHS in the private healthcare sector) regardless of the media on which they are held.

Download the new Part 2 and all other relevant records management documentation on the DH website here.

‘Flawed’ £12bn NHS IT system reliant on ’staff vigilance’ to ensure patient safety

According to Times Online today (5 October) “the NHS computer system intended to revolutionise patient care [Connecting for Health] has so many software flaws that seriously ill or badly injured patients are at risk of being inaccurately diagnosed, according to an internal health service document.”

The problems apparently relate to the patient record system component of Connecting for Health. The article goes on to say that “An assessment of the system at the first hospital to launch it, the Royal Free Hampstead NHS Trust in north London, details a catalogue of software glitches and design faults. It warns that the problems pose a possible risk to patients by underestimation of clinical condition” and that “some of the problems [with the system] could continue indefinitely”

Read the full article here.

Event: Interpreting the Information Governance Toolkit – 29 September, London

SBK Healthcare are running a one day event on Information Governance Toolkit (IGT). According to SBK Healthcare, the event has been designed to provide participants with key guidance and practical advice on successfully meeting the IGT requirements for 2008/09.

The speakers are drawn from the NHS and topics cover how to approach the IGT requirements, including how to incorprate the requirements into the Workplace; developing systems of effective documentation to satisfy auditors; meeting organisational IG Statement of Compliance (IGSoC) obligations; record quality checking and audit; and putting IGT practices into place.

For further information, click here.

NHSScotland publishes Information Governance Competency Framework

In response to the challenges and risks faced by NHS Boards, NHS Education for Scotland and NHS National Services Scotland (NSS) are working in partnership to develop a framework of educational support for information governance. They have recently published Information Governance in NHSScotland: A Competency Framework as a key tool to assist NHS Boards with the planning and implementation of local workforce development initiatives.

The full competency framework can be downloaded here.

BMA and NHS Connecting for Health issue joint guidance on protecting electronic patient information

The British Medical Association (BMA) and NHS Connecting for Health have issued joint ‘information governance’ guidance relating to protecting electronic patient information.

Good information governance allows organisations and individuals to ensure that personal information is handled legally, securely, efficiently and effectively in order to deliver the best possible care.

The new joint guidance can be downloaded here.

Department of Health sets bad example on Freedom of Information requests

According to the Health Service Journal (HSJ), the Department of Health (DH) has been “slated” over its freedom of information record. The DH has become the only government department to receive a formal practice recommendation from the Information Commissioner’s Office, which follows an audit of complaints that revealed the DH has repeatedly applied blanket exemptions to FOI requests, in some cases withholding entire documents from release.

This rebuke for the DH comes only 2 weeks after the Information Commissioner issued a warning to NHS and wider public service bodies following threatening High Court action against Hounslow PCT.

For further information, click here.

Freedom of Information Act Commissioner gives warning to the NHS

The Health Service Journal (HSJ) has reported that Hounslow primary care trust’s failure to meet its obligations under the Freedom of Information Act was so severe that the information commissioner Richard Thomas served draft High Court papers to force it to reveal information – the first time this has happened under the act.

Mr Thomas said: “The FOI Act must be properly implemented by public bodies – it is not a voluntary scheme that organisations can dip in and out of. I consider that other health trusts and public authorities could usefully learn lessons from this case.”

According to the HSJ, “The central lesson here is that trusts must ensure their procedures for dealing with FOI requests and their records management systems are up to scratch – a lesson Hounslow has learned the hard way.”

For further information, click here.