What is the difference between the role of Caldicott Guardian and the role of Information Governance lead?
The Caldicott Guardian is a senior person responsible for protecting the confidentiality of patient and service-user information and enabling appropriate information-sharing. They should champion Caldicott issues at Board level and therefore should ideally be an existing member of the Board or Senior Management Team. The Guardian should also be a senior health or social care professional within the organisation. Where possible, they should be the person responsible for promoting clinical governance or an equivalent function within the organisation. They should be very familiar with the key influential guidance and legislation, such as the Data Protection Act 1998 and the Confidentiality: NHS Code of Practice. This will assist in decision making for any Caldicott issues that arise and in particular for those issues that may have a major impact on the organisation. The Caldicott Guardian should oversee Confidentiality and Data Protection Assurance, also known as the Caldicott function. T
