ICO given new powers to audit NHS
From 1 February 2015, the ICO is able to subject public healthcare organisations to a compulsory audit. These compulsory audits have previously only applied to central government departments.
The audits review how the NHS handles patients’ personal information, and can review areas including security of data, records management, staff training and data sharing.
Christopher Graham, the Information Commissioner, said: ‘The Health Service holds some of the most sensitive personal information available, but instead of leading the way in how it looks after that information, the NHS is one of the worst performers. This is a major cause for concern. Time and time again we see data breaches caused by poor procedures and insufficient training. It simply isn’t good enough.
To read the full press release, click here.
Expansion of CEC
CEC is pleased to announce the formation of CEC Healthcare Coding Limited, a new company within the CEC group of companies. CEC Healthcare Coding Limited provides clinical coding services to UK healthcare organisations. Stephen Rapicano, Senior Partner at CEC, said: “the addition to this company further enhances our ability to support our clients in the healthcare industry across information governance, security testing, application hosting, PaaS, and web application development “.
CEC Awarded new contracts
CEC has recently been awarded new contracts. These include:
- A contract to assist a NHS organisations with its information governance objectives.
- A contract to provide bid and post-award support in relation to a substantial government contract.