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Information and Records Glossary

WordMeaning
Access The availability of, or permission to consult, records
Appraisal The process of evaluating our activities to determine which records should be kept, and for how long to meet the needs of Manx Care, the requirements of Government accountability and the expectations of researches and other users of the records.  The process of distinguishing records of continuing value from those of no value so that the latter can be eliminated
Archives Those records that are appraised as having permanent value for evidence of on-going rights or obligations, for historical or statistical research or as part of the corporate memory of Manx Care
Authenticity An authentic record is one that can be proven:
  • To be what it purports to be
  • To have been created or sent by the person purported to have created or sent it;
  • To have been created or sent at the time purported
To ensure the authenticity of records, Manx Care should implement and document policies and procedures which control the creation, receipt, transmission, maintenance and disposition of records to ensure that record creators are authorised and identifiable and that records are protected against unauthorised addition, deletion, alteration, use and concealment.
Caldicott Guardian A Caldicott Guardian is a senior person responsible for protecting the confidentiality of people’s health and care information and making sure it is used properly.Manx Care has one Caldicott Guardian: 

Dr Sreeman Andole         
Telephone: +44 1624 686208         
E-mail: Sreeman.Andole@nobles.dhss.gov.im 
Caldicott Principles The Caldicott principles outline seven areas that all Manx Care staff are expected to adhere to in addition to the DPA. These principles are:
  1. Justify the purpose(s)
  2. Don’t use personal confidential data unless it is absolutely necessary
  3. Use the minimum necessary personal confidential data
  4. Access to personal confidential data should be on a strict need-to-know basis
  5. Everyone with access to personal confidential data should be aware of their responsibilities
  6. Comply with the law
  7. The duty to share information can be as important as the duty to protect patient confidentiality.
  8. Inform patients and service users about how their confidential information is used
Useful link: The UK Caldicott Guardian Council website.
Corporate Records Records (other than health and social care records) that are of, or relating to, Manx Care’s business activities covering all the functions, processes, activities and transactions of Manx Care and its employees.
Current Records Records necessary for conducting the current and on-going business of Manx Care
Destruction The process of eliminating or deleting records beyond possible reconstruction. 
Disposal Disposal is the implementation of appraisal and review decisions.  These comprise the destruction of records and the transfer of custody of records (including the transfer of selected records to the Public Record Office). 
Electronic Record Management System A system that manages electronic records throughout their lifecycle, from creation and capture through to their disposal or permanent retention, and which retains their integrity and authenticity while ensuring that they remain accessible.
File An organised unit of documents grouped together either for current use by the creator or in the process of archival arrangement, because they relate to the same subject, activity or transaction.  A files is usually the basic unit within a records series.
Filing System A plan for organising records so that they can be found when needed.
Health and Social Record A single record with a unique identified containing information relating to the physical, mental health or social care needs of a given patient or service user who can be identified from that information and which has been recorded by, or on behalf of, a health and social care professional, in connection with the support and care of that patient or service user.  This may comprise text, sound, image and / or paper and must contain sufficient information to support the diagnosis or support pathway, justify the treatment or intervention and facilitate the on-going care of the patient or service user to whom it refers.
Indexing The process of establishing access points to facilitate retrieval of records and / or information.  The process of eliminating or deleting records beyond possible reconstruction. 
Information Commissioner The Information Commissioner enforces and oversees the Data Protection Act 2018 and the Freedom of Information Act 2015
Information Survey/Records Audit A comprehensive gathering of information about records created or processed by Manx Care.  It helps us to promote control over our records and provides valuable data for developing records appraisal and disposal procedures.  It will also help to: :
  • Identify where and when health, social care and other records are generated and stored within Manx Care and how they are ultimately archived and/or disposed of: and
  • Accurately chart the current situation in respect of records storage and retention across Manx Care, to make recommendations on the way forward and the resource implications to meet existing and future demands of the records management function.
Integrity of Records The integrity of a record refers to its being complete and unaltered.  It is necessary that a record be protected against unauthorised alteration.  Records management policies and procedures should specify what additions or annotations may be may be made to a record after it is created, under what circumstances additions or annotations may be authorised and who is authorised to make them.  Any unauthorised annotation, addition or deletion to a record should be explicitly identifiable and traceable.
Jointly held records A record held jointly by health and social care professionals, for example with the Mental Health Directorate.  A jointly held record should be retained for the longest period for that type of record, ie if social care has a longer retention period than health, the record should be held for the longer period.
Metadata Contextual information about a record. Defined in ISO 15489 as 'data describing context, content and structure of records and their management through time), metadata is structured information that enables the description, location, control and management of other information. Metadata should include (amongst other details) elements such as the title, subject and description of a record, the creator and any contributors, and the date and format.' For further information please visit National Archives.
Microform Records in the form of microfilm or microfiche, including aperture cards.
Migration The act of moving records from one system to another, while maintain the records’ authenticity, integrity, reliability and usability. 
Minutes (Master) Master copies are the copies held by the secretariat of the meeting, ie the person or department who actually takes, writes and issues the minutes
Minutes (Reference) Copies of minutes held by individual attendees at a given meeting
NHS Care Records Service / NHS NUmber Introduced in 1996, the NHS number is a unique 10 character number assigned to every individual registered with the NHS in England and (Wales).  The first nine characters are the identifier and the tenth is a check digit used to confirm the numbers validity.  Babies born in England and Wales are allocated an NHS number by Maternity Units, the point of Statutory Birth Notification.  The NHS number is used as the common identified for patients across different NHS organisations and is a key component in the implementation of the NHS CRS.  Isle of Man patients who have received care in England or Wales will have an NHS number.
Paper Records Records in the form of files, volumes, folders, bundles, maps, plans, charts, etc.
Permanent Retention Records may not ordinarily be retained for more than 30 years.  However, the Public Records Act provides for records which are still in current use to be legally retained.  Additionally, under separate legislation, records may be retained for longer than 30 years, for example Occupational Health Records relating to COSSH (Control of Substances Hazardous to Health) Regulations, or records required for variant CJD surveillance. Public Record Office website.  
Person Identifiable Data (PID) Information about a person which would enabled that person’s identity to be established, eg an unusual surname, an isolated post code, or items of different information which when taken together could allow the person to be identified.
Preservation The process and operations involved in ensuring the technical and intellectual survival of authentic records over time.
Protective Marking The process of determining security and privacy restrictions on records.
Public Records The Isle of Man Public Record Office preserves records of the Isle of Man government and other Manx public bodies that are of historical and cultural significance. 
Public Records Act 1999 An act to establish a Public Record Office; to make provision for public records; and for connected purposes.  The Act itself can be found by visiting Legalisation webpage.
Records Series A series is the main grouping of records with a common function or subject – formerly known as “class”.  Documents arranged in accordance with a filing system or maintained as a unit because they result from the same accumulation or filing process, or the same activity, because they have a particular form, or because of some other relationship arising out of their creation, receipt or use.  A series comprises the record of all the activities that are instances of a single process.  A series may be large or small, it is not distinguished not by its size, but by the fact that it provides evidence of a particular process.  If an activity takes place that is unique, rather than an instance of a process, its records form a series in their own right. 
Records Information created, received and maintained as evidence and information by an organisation or person, in pursuance of legal obligations, or in the transaction of business. 
Records Management Field of management responsible for the efficient and systematic control of the creation, receipt, maintenance, use and disposition of records, including processes for capturing and maintaining evidence of and information about business activities and transactions in the form of records.
Records System / Records Keeping System The organisations method for electronic/paper/other forms of record held, usually includes policies and procedures on how these will be processed to achieve safe, effective and efficient records from the time they are created until their eventual disposal.  This may include naming, version control, storing, tracking, securing and destruction (or in some cases, archival preservation) of records.
Redaction The process of editing a document to conceal or remove confidential information before disclosure, usually by blacking out or deleting text 
Registration Manx Care is registered with the Isle of Man Information Commissioner’s Office, as required for compliance under data protection legislation.  The Information Commissioner must be notified about all our data processing activities.  Our Data Processing registration number is R002977 and details of the registration can be found on the Information Commissioner's website.
Retention Any data held by Manx Care be it personal or business has a documented lifespan and method of disposal.  A Policy exists which provides instructions on the correct process to follow.
Review Records reviews are carried out to ensure that Manx Care complies with Data Protection Law, including checking records security and monitoring of compliance with records management procedures
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