Part of A guide to confidentiality in health and social care: references
Section 11: Privacy Impact Assessments
A Privacy Impact Assessment (PIA) is a process which helps assess privacy risks to individuals in the collection, use and disclosure of information. PIAs help identify privacy risks, foresee problems and bring forward solutions. They help to
- identify privacy risks to individuals
- identify confidentiality, privacy and Data Protection compliance liabilities for an organisation
- protect an organisation’s reputation
- instil public trust and confidence in an organisation’s project/product
- avoid expensive, inadequate “bolt- on” solutions
- inform an organisation’s communications strategy; and
- represent enlightened self-interest
PIAs are most effective when they are started at an early stage of a project, when
- the project is being designed
- organisations know what they want to do
- organisations know how they want to do it
- and organisations know who else is involved
But ideally they should be started before
- decisions are set in stone
- organisations have procured systems
- organisations have signed contracts, Memorandum Of Understandings (MOUs) or agreements; and
- while organisations can still change their mind
Last edited: 17 January 2022 1:03 pm