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Information sharing – a hot topic


by Victoria Thomason

12 Jul 2013

Information Sharing is a hot topic currently being debated across government. How safe can it be?  How can it be carried out effectively and within legislation?  What standards need to be met?  What is best practice?  There are many projects successfully exchanging data at the local and regional levels which HMG would benefit from understanding more about.

One approach in use is the automatic sanitisation of the selected entity (this could be a person; number; location; email etc).  This allows data to be shared effectively; analysis to take place as appropriate but full disclosure only permitted once pre-agreed criteria are met.

It is essential that whilst standards are agreed; that they are not mistaken for accuracy and that the signed information sharing protocols are not simply used as effective doorstops.

Are there any good examples out there?