Safety & Confidentiality Policy

Confidentiality & Safeguarding Policy

Last updated: 3rd June 2026

Your Health Voice is committed to providing a safe, respectful, and confidential service. We understand that people often share sensitive and personal information when seeking advocacy support, and we take that responsibility seriously.

This policy explains how we handle confidentiality, how we protect your information, and the rare circumstances where we may need to share information for safeguarding reasons.

1. Our Commitment to Confidentiality

Everything you share with us is treated as confidential.

This includes:

• personal details
• information about your health
• documents you provide
• concerns or experiences you discuss
• notes taken during support sessions

We will never share your information without your permission unless required by law or safeguarding duties.

We are an independent advocacy service and do not share information with the NHS or any healthcare provider unless you ask us to.

2. When We Can Share Information

We will only share information when:

• you ask us to, or
• you give explicit consent for us to communicate with a third party, or
• we are legally required to, or
• there is a safeguarding concern involving serious risk of harm to you or someone else.

If we ever need to share information for safety reasons, we will always try to discuss this with you first unless doing so would increase the risk.

3. Safeguarding Responsibilities

Although we are not a clinical service, we take safeguarding seriously.

We have a duty to act if we believe:

• you are at risk of serious harm
• someone else is at risk of serious harm
• a child or vulnerable adult may be unsafe
• information suggests a serious crime has occurred or may occur

Safeguarding concerns are rare, and we will always share the minimum information necessary to keep people safe.

4. What Happens if a Safeguarding Concern Arises

If we become concerned about safety, we will:

• Talk to you about our concerns wherever possible
• Explain why we may need to share information
• Share only what is necessary with appropriate services
• Continue to support you where appropriate

We will not make decisions about you without involving you unless doing so would increase the risk of harm.

5. How We Protect Your Information

We store all information securely using encrypted, password‑protected systems.

Only authorised personnel can access your information, and only for the purpose of providing support.

For more details on how we handle your data, please see our Privacy Policy.

6. Your Rights

• You have the right to:
• ask how your information is used
• request a copy of the information we hold
• ask us to correct inaccurate information
• withdraw consent for us to hold or use your information
• request deletion of your information (unless we are legally required to keep it)

You can contact us at any time to discuss confidentiality or safeguarding.

7. Contact Us

If you have any questions about this policy, please contact:

Your Health Voice  

Email: alison@yourhealthvoice.co.uk