8 April 2011
Last updated 
NHS Scotland has recently published a new foundation manual for NHS Scotland Caldicott Guardians, Caldicott Guardians: principles into practice. The manual is supported by the NHSS Caldicott Guardian website Principles into Practice. This website provides guardians with updated knowledge about the legal background in relation to their duties and various aspects of Information Governance. The website can be found here
The 1997 Caldicott report made various recommendations in relation to the use and transfer of patient identifiable information between NHS organisations and non-NHS organisations. Central to the recommendations was the appointment of a ‘Guardian’ in each NHS organisation to oversee the arrangements for the use and sharing of patient identifiable information. Caldicott Guardians are senior staff in the NHS and social services appointed to protect patient information. Their main responsibilities are to oversee how staff use personal health information and ensure that patients' rights to confidentiality are respected.
A key recommendation of this 1997 report was that the use of patient identifiable information should be justified and tested against various principals. Further information can be found on the Scottish Government’s website here
Since the 1997 report, legislation such as the Data Protection Act 1998, the Human Rights Act 1998 and the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 have expanded upon the initial Caldicott principles. This new manual takes account of all recent developments.