title: Regulatory codes of conduct and the common law. Part 2: confidentiality.
abstract: In Part One, three aspects of the principles that underpin the law of confidentiality were identified from a review of case law. Public interest(s), public safety and the protection of vulnerable people were identified as producing a matrix whereby health providers could see that the rules relating to confidentiality were viewed by all in society as being of the utmost importance. This article concentrates on the codes of conduct that two regulatory bodies have produced to guide the practice of health professionals. The General Medical Council (GMC) and the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) have codes of conduct that are very similar in their guidance. This is not surprising given that the central importance of confidentiality is reflected at the highest possible levels of judicial and political thinking.
authors.affiliation: Nursing Law and Politics, Faculty of Health, London South Bank University.
authors.forename: Suzanne
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Fullbrook
mesh_terms: D032781:Codes of Ethics / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D003219:Confidentiality / Q000941:ethics / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D004993:Ethics, Nursing; D006801:Humans; D006113:United Kingdom