Council Meeting

Thursday 28 May 2026, 13:00-16:00 

Council members in attendance

George Fernie (Chair), Helen Dyer (Vice Chair), Christopher Fincken, Neil Bhatia, Darren Lloyd, Faouzi Alam, Sophie Reed, Katie Thorn, Jason Smith, Alison Metcalfe, Craig Hadley, Mark Speller 

Observers

Andrew Latham, Deborah Topping 

Apologies

Martin Crook, Chris Bunch, Rhidian Hurle, Adrian Marchbank, Erum Nomani 

Secretariat 

It was agreed that the meeting would be recorded to aid note taking. The recording would be deleted once a record of the notes had been made final. 

Welcome and declarations of interest

Introductions were made to the group. There were no declarations of interest. 

Notes from previous meetings

Council reviewed the notes of the 25 March 2026 Council meeting and accepted them as an accurate record of the previous meeting. 

Actions

The UKCGC Chair and Council members reviewed the action log. An update was provided by the Chair on the open actions.  

  • George and Helen have recorded a first episode of the podcast which is currently under revision.  

  • Caldicott Guardian  Development programme. UKCGC has set-up a meeting with some members to review Caldicott Guardian checklist. 

Chair and Vice Chair’s report

Breakfast clubs & Evening classes

  • Breakfast clubs & Evening classes continue to progress well. Additional evening sessions can be added to the timetable if any volunteers come forward to speak on specific topics. 

Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill 

  • The Bill received Royal Assent on 29 April 2026. Public consultation is now open until 14 July 2026 on the draft statutory guidance that will support implementation of the new duty, including a proposed data‑sharing agreement template.  

  • The information‑sharing duty will come into force on 30 September 2026. 

Nottingham Inquiry

  • George has been approached to provide evidence for the Nottingham Inquiry, including an outline of the Caldicott Guardian Principles and reference to the other guidance he would have been expected to consult when formulating his advice. 

National Data Submission Portal

  • Portal used by NHS England to collect data sets. Team are reviewing their current process for submission including who should be submitting this. NHSE 

  • Helen has a further meeting with NHS England regarding sharing data on a lawful basis across organisations. 

MHRA AI event

  • George reflected on attending the MHRA AI event having been requested to provide this.  

  • Key speakers included Henrietta Hughes, the Patient Safety Commissioner, and Alastair Denniston from the National Commission into AI regulation. They emphasized that AI must be safe, fast, and trusted.  

Recognition and reward

  • An updated pay policy has been circulated to the group by NDG mail account confirming increase in day rate. 

Requests for advice to Council

  • 19 requests for advice and 11 requests for information were received to Council in total since the last meeting.  

  • Most requests concerned primary care and covered a wide range of topics including sharing deceased patients’ records with family, redaction of patient records, alleged data breaches, freedom of information requests, and data sharing for research and audit purposes. 

Health Services Safety Investigations

Body (HSSIB) – Craig Hadley

  • Craig Hadley from HSSIB presented on investigations into mental health inpatient settings, focusing on information sharing challenges aligned with the seventh Caldicott principle. He discussed the difficulties families face during transitions from children's to adult mental health services, where legal changes at age 18 often result in families feeling excluded and unable to support or keep their loved ones safe. Staff reported challenges in balancing confidentiality with family involvement, with mismatches between patient wishes and family needs. 

  • In investigations of deaths by suicide, families expressed frustration at not being involved or informed about risks and self-harming behaviours, leading to feelings of exclusion and blame. Recommendations included adopting person-centred care and actively involving families in care planning and decision-making. Despite national guidance supporting information sharing for safety, reluctance and fear among staff persist. 

  • Craig emphasised the need for clear escalation routes and consistent decision-making in patients' best interests. He also noted ongoing work in mental health crisis settings and the importance of acting before crises become catastrophes. 

Becoming a Caldicott Guardian – Mark Speller

  • Mark Speller, a GP and experienced Caldicott Guardian, shared his journey over a decade from working in a small organisation in Primary Care to expanding to multiple sites of GP services with a dedicated IG team and contracted DPO support.  

  • He highlighted the value of UK Caldicott Guardian Council resources, webinars, NHS guidance, GMC confidentiality cases, BMA guidance, and professional Facebook groups for ongoing learning. 

  • Mark discussed the rapid evolution of digital technology and AI, noting challenges in policy development and the need for early IG involvement in projects.  

  • The council recognised the importance of practical, patient-oriented guidance and mentoring for new Caldicott Guardians, with the Breakfast Club serving as valuable support. 

Any other business

It was noted that the November UKCGC meeting is being planned as a hybrid meeting, to be held both in person at Wellington House, London, and virtually. 

Next meeting: Tuesday 21 July 2026, 13:00-16:00.