Hello Andy
I was faced with exactly the same predicament in my first OH job with the
same argument regarding confidentiality. This was pc's and I was offered the
admin support of a secretary in HR.I argued my corner thus:
1. I am bound by what was the UKCC, now NMC code of conduct to ensure the
security of my records and I gave the a copy of the UKCC code and the RCN
guidance (their argument was that HR records are confidential too);
2. Conflict of interest - it would put the secretary in a difficult position
if she was typing letters for me regarding an attendance management issue at
the same time that she was typing material for an HR officer;
3. If she left a letter that she was working on on her desk HR personnel
could see it;
4.Employees and their representatives (ie the unions) may well be unsettled
by such an approach.
I stood my grounds but it was a struggle.
Anne
On 29/06/2011 09:16, "Andy Sidle" <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> Dear list
>
> I work for a very large Local Gov Organisation and our Human Resources
> division - of which OHS is part - proposes to restructure its administrative
> support services. The proposal is that there will be one "professional support
> service" supporting all areas of HR and that no area shall retain its own
> dedicated administrative support. Our argument - that we must retain dedicated
> support staff due to medical confidentiality is falling on deaf ears, with
> management asserting that all HR work is confidential and staff merely need to
> sign a confidentiality agreement re OHS. We continue to "build the case
> against" but can anyone direct us to explicit guidance on this point. (RCN,
> FoM ect merely refer to the need to maintain confidentiality).
>
> Has anyone else faced this prospect and, if so, what evidence did you use to
> counter it? Alternatively, is anyone working with such an arrangement and, if
> so, what measures have been instituted to ensure the confidentiality of
> medical information is maintained?
>
> regards
> Andy Sidle
>
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