As a local authority we have a large number of Housing Visitors, which is
basically people (mainly women) who visit the housebound, infirm, or even
Care in The Community people, and a Careline service, which is an emergency
service in a persons home, with a pull cord, emergency button, or intercom
that they can use in an emergency.
1. The Housing visitors hold information in a "little black book" - a
persons name, address, phone number, next of kin, Doctors name and Telephone
number, and details of medical conditions and personal notes, one person per
page. This book is then carried around, in the person's handbag, left in
their car, taken home (they have no office base), containing extremely
sensitive information. Obviously this process cannot continue (although it
could be argued that it is not a filing system, but does a little black book
hold less sensitive information because it isn't "structured", but it is
indexed!). What are other organisations doing, i.e. Doctors on call,
District Nurses, Social Workers etc.??
2. Careline hold all the information gained by the Housing Visitors, as well
as other information given by the client. They also from time-to-time
receive information about a person who shouldn't be visited by a female on
her own. This information is placed on the client record, and if in the
future, they need to call out an emergency service, ambulance or police,
they would as a matter of course pass on that information, to protect any
female paramedic or WPC who may visit.
Any one have any thoughts, at all, whatsoever??!!
Fiona Campbell
Data Protection Officer
Carlisle City Council
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