Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has undertaken a recent review of patient confidentiality and safeguarding arrangements in NHS inpatient wards; and whether he will consider introducing enhanced privacy measures for patients receiving care in shared ward accommodation.

National Health Service organisations are responsible for ensuring that they meet their legal and professional obligations in relation to patient confidentiality and the privacy of patients receiving care. This includes compliance with data protection legislation, the common law duty of confidentiality, and the principles set out in the guidance entitled Confidentiality: NHS Code of Practice.