This page is designed to answer the following questions:
- 6.4a Describe what confidentiality means in relation to their role (Care Certificate, Standard 6: Communication)
- 4.1 Explain the term ‘confidentiality’ (Level 2 Diploma in Care, Communication in care settings)
- 4.1 Explain the meaning of the term confidentiality (Level 3 Diploma in Adult Care, Promote communication in care settings)
NOTE: This page has been quality assured for 2023 as per our Quality Assurance policy.
Maintaining confidentiality is an important legal and ethical duty of health and social care workers.
It means that you should not share the personal information of an individual that you care for unless it is absolutely necessary. It also places an obligation on yourself and your employer to ensure that personal information is stored securely and cannot be accessed by any unauthorised persons. This information can include (but is not limited to):
- their history
- their date of birth
- their health conditions
By doing so, you will be respecting and upholding their rights and working with person-centred values. It can also impact positively on working relationships by strengthening the bond of trust.
You should also promote and educate the right of confidentiality to the individuals that you support.