Personal information
Sometimes we need to use personal information, or other confidential information, about individuals, so we can carry out our work.
We only obtain and use such information in ways that the law allows. The Data Protection Act 1998 and the Health and Social Care (Community Health and Standards) Act 2003 regulate the way we can use personal information.
How we use personal information
The publications below contain more detailed information about how we use personal information in the course of our work. They also outline your rights regarding confidential personal information.
Committee on confidential personal information
A committee made up of a number of our Commissioners oversees how we operate the code of practice. Decisions about how we use personal information must be referred to the committee, apart from when it delegates decision-making to specific members of staff.
More information
More information about personal information is available in the following publications:
- Information governance at the Healthcare Commission
- Healthcare Commission code of practice on confidential personal information
- Healthcare Commission code of practice on confidential personal information (summary)
- Healthcare Commission code of practice on confidential personal information (Welsh summary)
- Framework for using confidential personal information: NHS complaints
- Framework for using confidential personal information: NHS investigations
- Framework for using confidential personal information: Independent healthcare regulation
- Framework for using confidential personal information: Emergency, security and investigative services
