Data Security & Governance

Secure handling of sensitive health information is integral to our service.

Consulting Well handles highly sensitive health information as part of our fostering and adoption assessment pathways.

Information governance, confidentiality and proportionate use of information are therefore built into the way the service operates, rather than treated as an additional administrative requirement.

Our operational systems use Microsoft 365 with controlled user access and secure document storage.

Access to applicant information is restricted to those who require it for their role within the assessment pathway, with clinical information kept within the confidential clinical process.

• Cyber Essentials certified 
• Controlled user access 
• Secure document storage and sharing 
• Multi-factor authentication and organisational security controls

The complete clinical information used to inform an assessment is not reproduced for the fostering or adoption service.

Our role is to interpret relevant health information and provide the conclusions and recommendations required to support decision-making.

This allows sensitive medical information to remain within the clinical process while providing panels and services with clear, proportionate medical advice.

We apply defined processes for receiving, accessing, storing, sharing and retaining applicant information throughout the health assessment pathway.

Information is retained only for the period required for the purpose for which it was collected and is securely managed throughout its lifecycle.

We recognise that fostering and adoption organisations need assurance about the governance of services handling sensitive applicant information.

We can provide appropriate information on our data protection, information governance, security arrangements and clinical governance as part of commissioning and due-diligence processes.