The death has been announced of Dame Fiona Caldicott, at the age of 80. I couldn't let this news pass without a comment on my blog.
At the time of her death she was still the National Data Guardian for Health and Social Care, the first ever incumbent of this important post. I think anyone working in health, social care and education will have been touched by her work, stemming from the Caldicott Report published in 1997. This led to the introduction of Caldicott Guardians and the six principles which became the fundamentals that organisations needed to follow to protect any information that could identify a patient, such as their name and their records. A seventh principle which recognised the need to share information appropriately was also later added.
Still working at the time of her death, Dame Fiona was a personable character and my favourite memory of her was her appearance on the 2016 special Christmas series of University Challenge, where she represented St Hilda's College, Oxford.
Dame Fiona's memory and work will live on for many years to come and her contribution to her professional field will always be seen as a hugely important one.
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