National Information Governance Board for Health and Social Care

National Information Governance Board for Health and Social Care

An independent statutory body established to promote, improve and monitor information governance in health and adult social care. The NIGB provides advice on the appropriate use, sharing and protection of patient and service user information. It also advises on the use of powers, under Section 251 of the NHS Act 2006, to permit the duty of confidentiality to be set aside where other legal routes are not available.
The NIGB provides advice to the Secretary of State for Health, as well as to patients; service users and carers; health and social care organisations and practitioners; and researchers and others seeking to use patient and service user information. The NIGB regards information governance as essential for the lawful and ethical use of patient information, both for the benefit of the individual to whom the information relates and for the public good.