Confidentiality and Disclosure

Towards students: Information revealed by a student in the course of a consultation with members of staff will not be passed to a third party without the consent of the student. Members of staff collecting information about a student must comply with the University’s Data Protection Policy and with any Data Protection Guidance Notes issued by the University.

Medical schools are required to state in fitness to practise policy documents that they may pass personal information to other organisations, such as the GMC, other medical schools or postgraduate deaneries, if a student receives a warning or a sanction. Medical schools are expected to be aware of, and comply with, the Data Protection Act in order to protect the confidentiality of students.

Towards patients: Doctors treating students with serious disorders will maintain confidentiality but students should be aware that the GMC’s guidance on confidentiality to doctors includes the following "Disclosures may be necessary in the public interest where a failure to disclose information may expose the patient, or others, to risk of death or serious harm. In such circumstances you should disclose information promptly to an appropriate person or authority.’ If a medical student is considered to be a risk to patients or others, doctors would be expected to inform the medical school authorities, and if possible the consent of the student should be sought."