A police officer phones the surgery asking for the address and health details of a patient who was involved in a minor assault. The patient has not consented. What is the correct response?
Answer and explanation
Correct answer: C. Decline unless a legal duty or public interest in serious crime applies
- Step 1: Confidentiality is protected unless there is consent, a legal duty or a public interest justification.
- Step 2: A minor assault is unlikely to meet the threshold, and a formal written request may be needed.
Answer
Decline unless a legal duty or public interest in serious crime applies.
Why not the others: Give the details at once: Authority of the caller does not override confidentiality. Send the whole record by email to the officer for them to select what is relevant: Sending the whole record is excessive. Give the address only and withhold the diagnosis: Partial disclosure is still disclosure.
Practise more Confidentiality and information governance.
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