NHSScotland Caldicott Guardians: Principles into Practice

Foreword

The delivery of " world leading quality healthcare services ¹" depends on sharing information among professionals and sometimes with external organisations. It is essential that the information that underpins the provision of healthcare is of a high quality and is shared to the benefit of the individual and wider society, making the role of the Caldicott Guardian increasingly important.

I am therefore delighted to have been asked to provide a foreword for the work which has been undertaken here in Scotland to build upon the caldicott principles; to reiterate them and to provide you, the Caldicott Guardian, with tools which I hope will be of real value to you; making it easier to fulfil your role locally.

This manual has been revised to meet the wider concerns identified by the Caldicott community regarding the confidentiality and security of patient information and appropriate, legal information sharing.

All of these areas fall within the duties of the Caldicott Guardian or those carrying out similar roles. This Foundation Manual tells you what you need to do and why you need to do it while the new Caldicott Guardian website shows you how to do it - providing advice, guidance, exemplar policies and other resources.

I am very appreciative of all the work that has produced the updated guidance and website and extend my thanks to everyone responsible.

Dr Harry Burns
Chief Medical Officer