The Importance of shredding in the healthcare industry
There are few types of data that are more sensitive and personal than medical data - which makes this a key area for data protection and effective destruction. Plus, the rise in medical identity theft in recent years has put extra pressure on the healthcare industry to ensure that documents are being properly disposed of. Shredding provides a reliable option for meeting compliance requirements when it comes to data protection and destruction and ensuring that trust with patients remains intact.
Why is trust so important in healthcare?
Maintaining patient trust is the basis of relationships in the healthcare industry and this can be severely damaged by something like a document or data leak. The medical industry generates a vast volume of documents every day - and many of these documents are filled with sensitive and personal data that comes with high levels of protection required by law. Even old and out of date documents can still be used to reveal data about someone and their medical history, which is why shredding is so important for organisations in healthcare. It’s the simplest, and the most effective, way to ensure that unwanted documents are being destroyed, data protected and trust with patients properly maintained.
Why is shredding so vital for healthcare enterprises?
From GP surgeries to hospitals, NHS bodies and local authorities, it’s essential to have a robust shredding process in place to take care of the obligations that arise when it comes to sensitive medical data. The process of shredding ensures complete destruction of documents so that none of the data that is contained within them can be used outside of official purposes. On site shredding means that the destruction is always done on the premises - mitigating the risk of documents being stolen or lost during a transport process and increasing convenience and ease for the organisations involved. The healthcare industry is one of the few that still has a long way to go when it comes to digitisation, with vast volumes of patient information still held in paper files and documents. Which is why it’s so essential for effective shredding procedures to be in place.
Avoiding medical identity theft
Medical identity theft is an increasing problem in the UK with numbers of incidents rising considerably over the past five years. Fake identification is used to obtain prescription drugs on the black market and also via pharmacies - and can be very lucrative for criminals. It can also have an incredibly negative impact on those whose identities have been stolen and on the doctors and medical professionals that are affected by the process. The only way to ensure that medical identity theft risks are minimised is to have access to regular secure on site shredding.
On site shredding is increasingly vital for the healthcare industry to secure patient confidentiality, protect practitioners against compliance breaches and help to improve security and minimise the potential for medical identity theft. For many organisations in this field it’s going to be a key commitment going forward. Contact our Team today to discuss your shredding needs.
