The GDPR was enacted into UK Law as the Data Protection Act 2018. It imposes legal obligations on medical and healthcare organisations around how they must manage and process personal data.

The new legislation complements the NHS Data Security and Protection Toolkit (DSPT) and requirements for Caldicott Guardians. It gives the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) powers to impose significant financial penalties for non-compliance.

This, along with the increased focus on data collection and developments in AI for healthcare, are making the need for robust personal data protection practices essential.

This page explains what the new legislation means for medical and healthcare organisations and the key areas they need to consider when managing and protecting personal data.

WHAT DOES THE LEGISLATION MEAN FOR MEDICAL AND HEALTHCARE ORGANISATIONS?

Like all other organisations, medical and healthcare organisations must:

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Be transparent in the way they process personal data and accountable for doing so
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Be able to detect, manage, report and respond to data breaches including, if necessary, liaising with the Information Commissioner’s Offfice (ICO)
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Understand the data they have, where it is stored and who has access to it
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Implement robust processes and procedures to protect personal data
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Allow patients, health care professionals, staff and employees, local authorities, family and next of kin, guardians and suppliers to:

  • Access the data stored on them
  • Ensure it is correct and modify it as necessary
  • Have it deleted (unless needed for legitimate reasons)

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Appoint a designated data protection officer if they:

  • Are a public body
  • Process data on a large scale especially special category data or data relating to criminal convictions
  • Use the data for automated decision making

Portrait of an attractive young female doctor in blue coat.

IMPORTANT DATA PROTECTION CONSIDERATIONS FOR MEDICAL AND HEALTHCARE

Medical and healthcare organisations must protect personal data across all of their operations and be aware of multiple regulations. Major considerations include:

Complementary regulations, guidance and inspections

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NHS Data Security and Protection Toolkit (DSPT)
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GDPR and Data Protection Act (2018)
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Caldicott Guardianship
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CQC audits and inspections

Policies

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Privacy, retention and data protection policies
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Staff handbooks

Marketing, communications and consent management

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Social media and posting
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Emails, Bring Your Own Device (BYOD), NHSmail

Administration

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Maintaining network and server security
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Email systems
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Staff payroll, pension and HR records
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Visitors’ book and access systems

Sharing data with others

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Clinicians and healthcare professionals
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Local authorities

Managing sensitive information

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Data Protection Impact Assessments
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Managing sensitive medical information
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Safeguarding, family issues and DBS checks

Data gathering for predicting clinical outcomes

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Automated processing
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Data anonymisation and pseudo-anonymisation

Patient facing care and getting the job done

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Bedside data
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Patient notes
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Managing paper records

Care management systems and medical records

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Carer planning and management systems such as CarePlanner, Zuri, Access Care
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Electronic Medication Administration Records (eMAR)

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