The Caldicott Report was commissioned in December 1997 by the Chief Medical Officer of England owing to increasing concern about the ways in which patient information was used in the NHS in England and Wales and the need to ensure that confidentiality was not undermined.

Such concern was largely due to the development of information technology in the service, and its capacity to disseminate information about patients rapidly and extensively.

One of the recommendations of the report stated that all NHS organisations appoint a Caldicott Guardian to ensure patient-identifiable information is kept secure. (Caldicott Guardians are senior members of staff, preferably at partner level).

Read the full Caldicott Policy by clicking on the link below.