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Due to the nature of the module content, issues relating to confidentiality & anonymity should not arise with this assessment, but students are expected to maintain confidentiality and anonymity at all times in line with the statement below:
Faculty of Health & Wellbeing Confidentiality Statement
What is meant by confidentiality?
Students are expected to abide by relevant Codes of Practice and maintain appropriate levels of confidentiality at all times. Breaching confidentiality is also breaking the professional Codes of Practice.
The University and the Faculty of Health and wellbeing regard breaches of confidentiality as a very serious matter.
Students must protect the anonymity of time, place, and persons. It should not be possible to identify patients, service users, clients, staff, carers, colleagues, peers, organisations, agencies and placement areas.
This includes
- in any form of academic work
- whilst on placements
- informal conversations in public places eg on a bus or in a queue at the supermarket
- social networking sites
Only information which is available in the public domain may be referenced to a specific organisation: however it is still essential that no patients, service users, clients, staff, carers, colleagues or peers’ details are identifiable.
What should be included in academic writing?
Students should state explicitly that they have maintained anonymity rather than leave it unclear eg “All names of patients, service users, clients, staff, carers, colleagues, peers, organisations, agencies and placement areas have been changed in line with professional Codes of Practice”
In the case of including with assessed work documents that identify any such organisations, agencies and placement areas outlined above, the student must BLACK out /TIPPEX or redact the details and then make a photocopy of the document. They must then only submit the photocopy so that there is no risk of being able to read the details and thereby breaching confidentiality.
If a student wishes to submit details from case notes, care plans reports etc. which may breach the confidentiality of patients, service users, clients, staff, carers, colleagues or peers, these should be retyped removing all identifying aspects rather than Tippex and photocopy as above.
What happens if confidentiality is breached?
A breach of confidentiality in level 5, 6 or 7 work will result in a mark of zero and subsequent requirement for resubmission.
Serious breaching of confidentiality may also result in further action such as referral to a Fitness to Practice panel.
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