Caldicott Guardian
Every NHS organisation is required to have a Caldicott Guardian; this was mandated for the NHS by an official Health Service Circular in 1999. The mandate covers all organisations that have access to patient records. Clinical Commissioning Groups deal with minimal patient / personal data, the three main categories being:
- complaints,
- enquiries from Member of Parliament, letters / correspondence,
- staff files / data.
The Caldicott Guardian is responsible for protecting the confidentiality of people’s health and care information, making sure it is used properly and enabling appropriate information sharing. They have a strategic role, which involves representing and championing issues related to information sharing at Governing Body or executive level.
The Caldicott Guardian for County Durham
Dr Ian Davidson, Medical Director
Telephone: 0191 389 8594
E-mail: iandavidson2@nhs.net
Conflict of Interest Guardian
As part of the CCG’s arrangement to manage conflicts of interest, a Conflict of Interest Guardian has been appointed. John Whitehouse, Lay Member for Governance and Audit, can be contacted by email via john.whitehouse@nhs.net.
As the Conflict of Interest Guardian John will:
- act as the main point of contact for GP practice staff, members of the public and healthcare professionals who have any concerns relating to conflicts of interest,
- be a safe point of contact for employees or workers of the CCG to raise concerns in relation to conflicts of interest,
- provide independent advice and judgement where there is any doubt about how to apply the conflicts of interest policies and principles in an individual situation,
- provide advice on minimising the risks of conflicts of interest.
John is supported in his role by Jill Matthewson, Head of Corporate Services, who can also be contacted by email via jill.matthewson@nhs.net or by telephone on 0191 3898576 with any queries relating to conflicts of interest.
Freedom to Speak Up Guardian
In accordance with the CCG’s Raising Concerns (whistleblowing) Policy Andrew Atkin, Governing Body Lay Member has been appointed as Freedom to Speak Up (FTSU) Guardian for County Durham CCG. The Freedom to Speak Up Guardian works alongside the CCG Executive Team and Governing Body to support the organisation in becoming a more open and transparent place to work, where all staff are actively encouraged and enabled to speak up safely. Essentially the role will be to ensure that a culture of speaking up is instilled throughout the organisation and that effective processes are in place to support staff. As a nationally defined role, the Freedom to Speak Up Guardian will focus on the key area of supporting individuals to raise concerns that are in the interest of patients or the public. However, in addition to this, the FTSU Guardian role within County Durham CCG also encompasses supporting staff to raise concerns with regard to dignity at work (such as bullying and harassment). Andrew will therefore be able to advise CCG colleagues on the right policies and processes for individuals to be aware of if they wish to raise a dignity at work concern. You can contact Andrew in the following ways:
Andrew Atkin, Governing Body Lay Member
Telephone: 0191 389 8600
Email: andrew.atkin1@nhs.net
More information on the role of FTSU Guardian and how to speak up.
Raising and responding to concerns film: Health Education England have produced a number of films and supporting information to support individuals who wish to “Speak up”.
Senior Information Risk Owner (SIRO)
The Senior Information Risk Owner (SIRO) takes overall ownership of County Durham CCG’s and acts as champion for information risk on the Governing Body.
The SIRO understands how the strategic business goals of the CCG and how other NHS Organisations’ business goals may be impacted by information risks and how those risks may be managed.
The SIRO will implement and lead the NHS Information Governance (IG) risk assessment and management processes within the CCG and will advise the Executive Committee on the effectiveness of information risk management across the CCG.
SIRO for County Durham Clinical Commissioning Group
Nicola Bailey, Chief Officer
Telephone: 0191 371 3222
E-mail: Nicola.bailey5@nhs.net
For general enquiries about any of these roles or for information about any related CCG policy, please contact Jill Matthewson, Head of Corporate Services, via telephone on 0191 389 8576 or by email via jill.matthewson@nhs.net
Data Protection Officer (DPO)
As a public authority the CCG must appoint a Data Protection Officer (DPO). The DPO is an essential role in facilitating ‘accountability’ and the organisation’s ability to demonstrate compliance with the data protection legislation.
The DPO for the County Durham CCG is Liane Cotterill, who can be contacted at via email at NECSU.IG@nhs.net