Confidentiality Is an Important Issue

Confidentiality is an important issue because without it, professionals would find it difficult to build relationships with their clients. Trust in a carer/client relationship is important, as a client would not want to share personal information with someone if they felt it was not confidential and Fulford (2001) agrees that confidentiality is a function of relationships.
This could be why new employees in the caring profession find it difficult to relate to their clients until a relationship has been formed. When a person gives information about themselves to other people such as doctors or carers, that person is giving their consent for the professional to share the information given. This kind of consent is known as ‘implicit consent’.
It is when a person gives consent with out realising they have and unless they specifically ask for the information to be strictly confidential, then that information will be shared amongst other professionals within that profession (Unit23, p67) This kind of consent is usually present when a client or resident can not make decisions about their information being shared, maybe the client is unconscious or has learning disabilities. The Department of Health (1996) states those professionals in this position must be trusted to act in their patient’s best interests.

Another type of consent is known as ‘explicit consent. This is consent given with the patient or client knowing about it. For instance, if a person was filling out a form and it stated that the information provided on the form is shared among other professionals, it would then ask for a signature to allow for this sharing to occur. In today’s working environment, it is common place for people, other than professionals, to have access to their employees’ records. Having access to these records can help management to promote a person’s professional…