Data protection – it’s all our responsibility

DATA PROTECTION

TAKING ALL THE NECESSARY STEPS TO PROTECT PATIENT PRIVACY A HSE PRIORITY

Taking all the steps necessary to protect the privacy of our patients and service users is a HSE priority and the HSE’s Data Protection team have just released a series of short, animated videos for HSE sta with useful tips and guidance on reducing the risk of a data breach. The videos are based on the most common breaches experienced in the HSE and they o er practical advice on good practices around data protection and information management, with the aim of reducing the risk of a data breach when processing personal data, such as while you are using paper records and sending emails. Each video is just two minutes long and you will find the new series of short animations on www.healthservice.hse.ie/sta /news and on HSELand. Keep an eye out also for links in our social media feeds! HSE’s Head of Data Protection Jim O’Sullivan explained,

If you suspect a data breach has taken place or are ever in doubt Stop, Think and Ask for Help from your line manager and from your local data protection o cer. You will find these details on hse.ie/gdpr “The vast majority of the HSE’s data processing activities are safe and secure but despite the best e orts of our sta things can go wrong occasionally and data can be shared inappropriately. We have created this series of short video animations to help highlight how to reduce the risk of a data breach happening to you. We’ve tried to be really practical in terms of the advice and guidance included and we hope they’re helpful to sta .” HSE Deputy Data Protection

O cer (DDPO) in the South, Mary Deasy, who led the project, said that data protection is taken ‘very seriously’ by the HSE. “We take data protection very seriously in the HSE and our sta work very hard to uphold and protect all of the data protection rights that each of us has. This means ensuring that every individual in the care of the health service has their personal information protected, used in a fair and legal way, and made available to them when they ask for a copy,” she said.“We are confident that these videos will be helpful to sta and will serve as a reminder to us that data protection in the HSE is everyone’s responsibility. The videos illustrate through animation, how to avoid the most common data breaches, the root-cause of which is typically human error. We illustrate how to avoid simple mistakes with emails that can be the cause of a data breach, such as how to safely send an email containing personal data to a group of people using the BCC and CC functions; awareness of email threads and how to manage them safely; use of predicted email addresses; and having awareness of speech privacy when discussing personal information with service users and colleagues. “As many HSE sta are currently working remotely, we have developed a video on how to protect personal data when working remotely, including some practical tips to ensure personal data is kept safe and confidential whilst working in di erent environments.” Each video outlines the steps to follow when a data breach happens. It’s essential that sta familiarise themselves with these steps, including who to contact when a data breach happens and how to report a data breach. The Data Protection Team will continue to work with sta to ensure that all personal data is processed in a safe and secure manner which meets our obligations under the Data Protection Act and the GDPR.