Unsafe confidentiality and information-sharing arrangements in service mental health care
First to latest report 12 May 2014 — 29 Nov 2024
Reports that mention this concern
10
Times this concern has been raised
11
Stated actions linked to this concern
10
What this concern includes
Includes deficiencies in the dedicated confidentiality, independence or safety-information-sharing arrangements of service mental health care where those arrangements may suppress risk disclosure or prevent necessary communication of mental-health risk to relevant families, carers, clinicians or authorities.
What is not included
Excludes generic information-sharing or communication failures that are not specifically tied to confidentiality or independence in service mental health care.
Excludes ordinary clinical confidentiality concerns where no safety-relevant disclosure, risk reporting or protective information-sharing issue is identified.
Excludes failures of police, social-care or other non-mental-health information systems unless the assertion directly concerns confidentiality arrangements in service mental health care.
Excludes generic mental-health treatment, assessment or care-planning deficiencies that do not concern the confidentiality and information-sharing boundary.
Trends
Reports over time
Reports mentioning this concern, over time
Reports about this concern issued each year.
* 2026 is projected from reports observed to 7 Sep 2026.
Most frequent recipients
Most frequent recipients
Reports about this concern sent to each recipient.
Department of Health and Social Care4
NHS England3
Ministry of Defence2
Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry1
East London NHS Foundation Trust1
General Pharmaceutical Council1
Hafod Community Mental Health Team1
Hampshire and Isle of Wight Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust1
Royal Pharmaceutical Society1
The Company Chemists' Association1
Windsor and Maidenhead Community Mental Health Team1
Wokingham Community Mental Health Team1
Ministerial department6
Executive non-departmental public body3
NHS trust2
Health and care professional regulator1
Healthcare site1
Health professional body1
University faculty or school1
Type not available1
Reports and published responses 10 reports
See individual reports that have raised this concern, and the actions taken in response
Berkshire
Concerns raised1
Failure to share protective factors and safety actions with the Chain of Command
This report raised 6 other concerns. They are not shown here because they do not form part of this recurring concern.
Linked response
Ministry of Defence
Stated actions An action is something a respondent says it has done, is doing, or plans to do in response to the concern raised.2
Ministry of Defence
Review the Army’s Vulnerability Risk Management policy and amend associated templates to improve risk-plan recording and sharing.
Ministry of Defence
Consider directing units on information to capture, record, share and retain during and after case conferences.
Mid Kent and Medway
Concerns raised1
Failure to clearly record service users' consent to disclosure to family members
This report raised 7 other concerns. They are not shown here because they do not form part of this recurring concern.
Linked response
Department of Health and Social Care
Respondent positions A position is what a respondent says about the concern when they do not describe a specific action.1
Department of Health and Social Care
NHS England is responsible for addressing the report’s concerns about local mental health service issues.
Redirects responsibilityThe respondent said that another organisation was responsible for deciding or taking action.
North London
Concerns raised1
Lack of consideration for exceptions to patient confidentiality in cases of mental illhealth
No linked response statements
No respondent-stated action or position is linked to these concerns in the published data.
Dorset
Concerns raised1
Lack of independence in service mental health care
This report raised 2 other concerns. They are not shown here because they do not form part of this recurring concern.
Linked response
Ministry of Defence
Stated actions An action is something a respondent says it has done, is doing, or plans to do in response to the concern raised.1
Ministry of Defence
Provide enhanced support through an embedded independent psychiatric nurse.
Respondent positions A position is what a respondent says about the concern when they do not describe a specific action.1
Ministry of Defence
DCMH is independent of Service chains of command, so its structure does not create the identified lack-of-independence risk.
Disputes the concernThe respondent disagreed with part of the concern or the basis for it.
Cambridgeshire and Peterborough
Concerns raised1
Failure to ensure appropriate pharmacy involvement in medication safety plans for mental health patients aged 16–17
This report raised 1 other concern. They are not shown here because they do not form part of this recurring concern.
Linked responses
Company Chemists’ Association Limited
General Pharmaceutical Council
NHS England
Royal Pharmaceutical Society
Stated actions An action is something a respondent says it has done, is doing, or plans to do in response to the concern raised.4
NHS England
Establish a working group to develop a national approach to sharing medication-safety information with community pharmacies.
Royal Pharmaceutical Society
Continue campaigning for community-pharmacy access to and sharing of patient health records.
Royal Pharmaceutical Society
Publish a policy and position statement on patient health records.
Company Chemists’ Association Limited
Work with the General Pharmaceutical Council, Royal Pharmaceutical Society and NHS England to further consider improving practice.
Respondent positions A position is what a respondent says about the concern when they do not describe a specific action.5
General Pharmaceutical Council
NHS England is better placed to provide information on national-level medication safety plans.
Redirects responsibilityThe respondent said that another organisation was responsible for deciding or taking action.
Royal Pharmaceutical Society
Mandating local adoption of national protocols across the NHS and other care providers is outside the respondent’s role.
Outside remitThe respondent said that this matter was outside its role or authority.
Royal Pharmaceutical Society
NHS and CAMHS organisations are responsible for making changes to prevent deaths involving pharmacy communication and medication safety plans.
Redirects responsibilityThe respondent said that another organisation was responsible for deciding or taking action.
Company Chemists’ Association Limited
Direct action is outside the remit because the organisation does not operate pharmacies or set standards and guidance for pharmacy operators.
Outside remitThe respondent said that this matter was outside its role or authority.
Company Chemists’ Association Limited
Changing information-sharing and care-planning processes cannot be undertaken because the relevant organisations lack legislative authority.
Unable to actThe respondent said that a constraint prevented them from taking the relevant action.
Manchester West
Concerns raised1
Failure to communicate relevant information between mental health care professionals and patients’ close relatives
Linked response
Department of Health and Social Care
Stated actions An action is something a respondent says it has done, is doing, or plans to do in response to the concern raised.1
Department of Health and Social Care
Work with professional bodies to agree and publish a consensus statement on information sharing and suicide prevention.
Wiltshire and Swindon
Concerns raised2
Failure to provide healthcare professionals with complete relevant mental-health information for frontline assessments
Failure to share relevant mental-health information between healthcare practitioners and patients’ families
No linked response statements
No respondent-stated action or position is linked to these concerns in the published data.
Surrey
Concerns raised1
Failure to share relevant recent mental health information between mental health teams and general practitioners
This report raised 2 other concerns. They are not shown here because they do not form part of this recurring concern.
Linked response
Hampshire and Isle of Wight Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust
Stated actions An action is something a respondent says it has done, is doing, or plans to do in response to the concern raised.2
Hampshire and Isle of Wight Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust
Develop GP access to mental health records.
Hampshire and Isle of Wight Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust
Embed GP communication requirements in acute and community mental health team procedures, instruct managers, and monitor compliance after referral triage.
Inner North London
Concerns raised1
Failure to distinguish receiving and acting on third-party concerns from disclosing patient details
This report raised 1 other concern. They are not shown here because they do not form part of this recurring concern.
No linked response statements
No respondent-stated action or position is linked to these concerns in the published data.
Inner West London
Concerns raised1
Failure to appropriately challenge decisions by patients with insufficient insight not to share information with families
This report raised 4 other concerns. They are not shown here because they do not form part of this recurring concern.
No linked response statements
No respondent-stated action or position is linked to these concerns in the published data.
Actions and positions describe what organisations say in published responses. Implementation is not independently verified.
Actions and positions describe what organisations say in published responses. Implementation is not independently verified.