GDPR DPO as a Service for Health and Social care

Data protection officer (DPO) as a service for health and social care

The scope of the DPO role as defined by the GDPR is broad, and fulfilling the role requires the appointee to have expertise in national and European data protection law, including detailed knowledge of the Regulation as well as a practical understanding of how to build, implement and manage a data protection programme.

IT Governance recognises that health and social care organisations face additional challenges in achieving GDPR compliance and securing patient data. We also understand that publicly funded bodies often face budgetary constraints, so we have adapted our service offering in response to these challenges.

Outsourcing the DPO role

Under the GDPR, a DPO is required for all public bodies and any organisations that:

• Conduct regular and systematic monitoring of data subjects on a large scale; or
• Process large amounts of special categories of data, including health data, and data relating to criminal convictions.

The DPO is responsible for educating the organisation on important compliance requirements, monitoring GDPR compliance, and serving as a point of contact between the organisation and its supervisory authority. The DPO mustn’t have any conflicts of interest, so the role should not be filled by someone who processes or manages the processing of data as part of another role.

An outsourced DPO can be a cost-effective solution for organisations that do not have the necessary in-house expertise or whose operations mean that all staff process data in some form. An external DPO will have extensive data protection and legal knowledge, and can offer a completely impartial service.

IT Governance offers DPO services provided by a team of in-house legal experts with experience in implementing data protection programmes in national and multinational organisations across all sectors.

Our services are tailored for sectors with bespoke requirements. All UK-based health and social care organisations need to achieve GDPR compliance, and many will have to appoint a DPO. Organisations need to plan GDPR compliance while also addressing other national, European and industry obligations designed to protect patient data. Our DPO service understands and meets these requirements, while remaining affordable.