Newsletter: November 2025
Dear Caldicott Guardians,
Welcome to the winter edition of the UK Caldicott Guardian Council bulletin. This issue brings together a range of practical support, guidance, and training opportunities to help you in your role.
Inside, you will find:
Details of our first fully online, free annual conference in October 2026, now open for booking.
Headline findings from our national survey, highlighting the support and resources you need most.
Updates on educational events, including our evening learning series and monthly breakfast club.
New resources to help patients understand data security in everyday care settings.
A brief update on UKCGC’s operational work, including Council membership and our 2025–2028 Constitution.
Thank you for your continued dedication to ethical and lawful information governance. Both Vice Chair Helen Dyer and I wish you a very enjoyable festive season and a happy New Year.
Dr George Fernie
Chair, UK Caldicott Guardian Council
Results from our recent Caldicott Guardian survey
In summer 2025, we invited Caldicott Guardians across the UK to share their experiences and tell us how the UKCGC might support them more effectively. Over 1,100 Caldicott Guardians responded, representing a wide range of sectors, organisation types and thousands of years of differing experience. Thank you to all who participated.
Read more about how the UKCGC will continue to use the insights from the survey to further support and strengthen the work of Caldicott Guardians.
UKCGC annual conference 2026 – free online event
Join us for our first totally free annual online conference on Monday 6 October 2026, designed to support Caldicott Guardians alongside everyone who promotes the Caldicott Principles across the UK. It offers the latest guidance, insights, and best practice examples.
This event brings together Caldicott Guardians from health, social care, and related sectors to explore key developments in information governance and confidentiality.
Hear from leading voices, including:
Dr Nicola Byrne, National Data Guardian
Dr George Fernie, Chair, UK Caldicott Guardian Council
Helen Dyer, Vice-Chair, UK Caldicott Guardian Council
Dr Jeffry Hogg, Clinician Scientist, University Hospitals Birmingham
Is your name on the Caldicott Guardian register?
All organisations required to appoint a Caldicott Guardian must ensure their details are kept up-to-date on the Caldicott Guardian Register.
If you are a Caldicott Guardian, please check your entry and support your organisation in making sure the information is accurate and that members of the public can make enquiries easily. You can do this online here.
The register is maintained by NHS England and is used by the Council to support contact and effective sharing of information.
Watch talks on AI and the Caldicott Principles
We recently hosted an event on AI and the Caldicott Principles, where experts from across the sector shared their insights and experiences. We recorded these talks, and you can watch them at the links below.
Understanding AI in Health and Care
Dr Jeffry Hogg, University Hospitals Birmingham
Victoria Chico, Office of the National Data Guardian
South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust and AI
Claire Delaney-Pope, South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust
Applying Caldicott Principles to AI
Helen Dyer, Vice-Chair UKCGC
Demonstrating trustworthiness in the use of AI
Jenny Westaway, Office of the National Data Guardian
Evening learning series – book your spot
Join our free, one-hour monthly evening classes to build expertise in specific areas and connect with peers. Places are first-come, first-served, so secure your spot soon.
Upcoming sessions include:
Tuesday 2 Dec 2025
Information sharing considerations: Safeguarding
Thursday 22 Jan 2026
Information share considerations: The Common Law Duty of Confidentiality
Visit the UKCGC website to view the full schedule and book your place.
Breakfast club: start your day the Caldicott way!
Join our monthly online breakfast club for updates, networking, and real-world case discussions. If you’re an early riser, join us on Microsoft Teams, as it’s a great way to stay informed and connected. We meet once a month for an hour, always at 08:00.
To find out more visit the events page of our website.
New resource: helping patients understand data security
Understanding Patient Data has co-created new ‘explainer’ resources with patients and service users to help people understand how their health data is protected in direct care settings. They include an introductory animation and interactive case studies on NHS data security and breach responses.
As a Caldicott Guardian, you play a key role in ensuring people are informed about how their information is used and kept safe. As such, we encourage you to share these resources within your organisation and networks, particularly with those who interact with the public and may be asked to explain data security.
Calling all Caldicott Guardians in dental, optometry and audiology
The UK Caldicott Guardian Council is keen to provide better support for Caldicott Guardians working with NHS patients in dental, optometry, and audiology services.
If you work in these sectors and would like to get involved or help shape the development of tailored resources, we would be delighted to hear from you. Please email us for more information.
UKCGC operational update
For colleagues who wish to stay informed about the running of the UK Caldicott Guardian Council, we are sharing a brief update on recent internal activity.
The UKCGC Constitution for 2025–2028 has been finalised in partnership with our sponsor, the National Data Guardian, and is now available on our website. The Constitution sets out how the UK Caldicott Guardian Council is structured and governed, and how it carries out its role in supporting Caldicott Guardians.
We have refreshed Council membership to ensure it remains representative of the sectors we support and are pleased to welcome Sophie Reed (Milestones Trust), Katie Thorn (Digital Care Hub) as Council members, and Andrew Latham (Capsticks Solicitors) as an active contributor, who each bring valuable experience.
Our work planning is well underway, with a focus on identifying how best to support Caldicott Guardians in practice, including the types of resources and support that will be most useful. This work is informed by the evidence and insights many of you provided through the recent survey.
Thank you for your continued hard work and commitment to leading the lawful, ethical, and appropriate use of confidential information in health and social care.