Creating and managing records efficiently, making them accessible, protecting them and disposing of them safely at the right time
About this policy
This Records Management Policy is the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists’ (RCOG or the College) policy regarding the safekeeping of all our records from their creation to their disposal – this includes our procedures for sharing information externally.
The RCOG values its information and records as essential assets fundamental to the delivery of its strategic aims. The RCOG recognises that the effective management of records throughout their lifecycle is necessary to perform its core functions, to comply with legal and regulatory obligations, and support business efficiency, continuity and consistency.
Purpose
This policy establishes a framework for the creation, maintenance, storage, use and disposal of RCOG records, to support the College’s strategic information governance framework, to provide evidence of corporate governance, and to facilitate compliance with statutory requirements.
This policy ensures Member, service user, employee and Officer records are:
- Properly created,
- Accessible and available for use,
- Disposed of in a secure and timely fashion.
Scope
This policy applies to:
- All records held by the RCOG in either paper or digital format, including records containing personal data,
- All employees of the RCOG (permanent, temporary and voluntary), Officers and Committee members handling College records, contractors and consultants who have access to records, wherever these records may be located.
The policy aims to ensure that all employees and Officers are aware of what they must do to manage records in an effective and efficient way and in compliance with legal and regulatory requirements.
This policy is part of the RCOG Information Governance and Security Framework that includes:
- Data Protection Policy and Procedures
- Data Security and Protection Incident Handling Policy and Procedures
- IT Security Policy (internal only)
- Privacy Policy
- Information Asset Register and Record of Processing Activity