Patient / Client Confidentiality, and Information Protection
A reference note for patients and clients
The Dublin Well Woman Centre takes seriously its obligations to honour patient /
client confidentiality. This is crucial to the trust between our patients and clients,
and the Dublin Well Woman Centre as a healthcare and counselling services
provider.
We appreciate that the nature of our services requires our patients and clients to
entrust Well Woman clinic staff with sensitive and personal information relating to
their sexual and reproductive health. Patients and clients are entitled to expect us
to keep that information confidential at all times, unless there is a compelling
reason not to do so.
Well Woman clinic staff have an ethical and contractual obligation to maintain client
confidentiality, and they act appropriately to protect client information against
improper disclosure or use.
Information provided by patients or clients may, in certain circumstances, need to
be shared within the Dublin Well Woman Centre, for example between a counsellor
and a Well Woman doctor, or vice versa.
This information-sharing is an essential part of the provision of many aspects of
healthcare and / or counselling, and reflects the involvement of healthcare
professionals working in teams, and bringing their own particular expertise to
enhance the patient’s care.
We only share patient information when it is necessary to deliver the appropriate
care to the patient. This duty of confidentiality applies to all patients and clients,
regardless of age, gender, social class, religion, sexual orientation, disability or
medical condition.
Breaching Confidentiality
There are certain, limited circumstances in which a Well Woman doctor, nurse,
counsellor or manager may need to breach confidentiality. These circumstances
are largely – though not exclusively – linked to the protection of minors.
The Dublin Well Woman Centre may need to breach confidentiality in cases of:
Consent: We may release confidential information with the consent of the patient
or client, or with the consent of a legally authorised representative or decision
maker, such as a parent or legal guardian.
Court Order: We may release confidential information upon receipt of a Court
Order.
Continued Treatment: We may release confidential information necessary for the
continued treatment of a patient.
To Comply with the Law: We may reveal confidential information in order to
comply with mandatory reporting statutes around the disclosed abuse, or potential
abuse of a minor, or where we have real and substantial concerns that the minor
may be at risk of physical, emotional or sexual abuse.
A reference note for patients and clients
The Dublin Well Woman Centre takes seriously its obligations to honour patient /
client confidentiality. This is crucial to the trust between our patients and clients,
and the Dublin Well Woman Centre as a healthcare and counselling services
provider.
We appreciate that the nature of our services requires our patients and clients to
entrust Well Woman clinic staff with sensitive and personal information relating to
their sexual and reproductive health. Patients and clients are entitled to expect us
to keep that information confidential at all times, unless there is a compelling
reason not to do so.
Well Woman clinic staff have an ethical and contractual obligation to maintain client
confidentiality, and they act appropriately to protect client information against
improper disclosure or use.
Information provided by patients or clients may, in certain circumstances, need to
be shared within the Dublin Well Woman Centre, for example between a counsellor
and a Well Woman doctor, or vice versa.
This information-sharing is an essential part of the provision of many aspects of
healthcare and / or counselling, and reflects the involvement of healthcare
professionals working in teams, and bringing their own particular expertise to
enhance the patient’s care.
We only share patient information when it is necessary to deliver the appropriate
care to the patient. This duty of confidentiality applies to all patients and clients,
regardless of age, gender, social class, religion, sexual orientation, disability or
medical condition.
Breaching Confidentiality
There are certain, limited circumstances in which a Well Woman doctor, nurse,
counsellor or manager may need to breach confidentiality. These circumstances
are largely – though not exclusively – linked to the protection of minors.
The Dublin Well Woman Centre may need to breach confidentiality in cases of:
Consent: We may release confidential information with the consent of the patient
or client, or with the consent of a legally authorised representative or decision
maker, such as a parent or legal guardian.
Court Order: We may release confidential information upon receipt of a Court
Order.
Continued Treatment: We may release confidential information necessary for the
continued treatment of a patient.
To Comply with the Law: We may reveal confidential information in order to
comply with mandatory reporting statutes around the disclosed abuse, or potential
abuse of a minor, or where we have real and substantial concerns that the minor
may be at risk of physical, emotional or sexual abuse.
