Internet and E-Mail Plicy User s Guide Versin 2.2 supprting partnership in mental health Internet and E-Mail Plicy User s Guide Ver. 2.2-1/5
Intrductin Health and Scial Care requires a great deal f cmmunicatin and in the mdern NHS we cunt the Internet and Email as tw f ur mst imprtant cmmunicatin tls. This guide gives the standards that we shuld all fllw when using the Internet r Email tls and cmplies with the Internet and Email Plicy. It has been written s that staff are clear abut the standards the Care Trust and all its emplyees are required t fllw. If yu wish t read the Internet and Email Plicy in full, it is available n the Care Trust Intranet r by request t the Infrmatin Gvernance Manager. When we use the term Internet we mean cmputers that access the Internet, any web pages r prgrams that are part f the Internet r any cmmunicatins between peple r cmputers ver the Internet. When we use the term Email we mean any letters, dcuments r files that are transferred by cmputers within the Care Trust r ver the Internet. It is imprtant that yu read and understand this guide. If yu are nt sure abut any part f it, yu shuld ask yur manager, the Care Trust s Infrmatin Gvernance Manager r refer t the Care Trust s Internet and Email Plicy. These standards als apply if use the Care Trust Internet and Email at hme. Getting an Accunt When we give yu an accunt with ur cmputer netwrks yu will get a passwrd and an email address. This accunt, passwrd and email address is fr yur use nly. Yu will get this accunt nce yu and yur manager must have signed a declaratin and any ther frms required by IT. When yu get yur accunt d nt: Tell anyne yur passwrd, unless tld t d s by yur manager Send emails n behalf f smene else unless fr business reasns Allw ther peple t lk at the Internet frm yur accunt Using yur Accunt fr Business Reasns Yur accunt has been given t yu fr business use. It is impssible t make standards fr all the ways in which the Internet r Email culd be used. Instead guidance questins are given fr yu t use when cnsidering if yur usage is acceptable r nt. We will als use these questins t cnsider if yur usage as acceptable r nt. Remember t use these questins as thugh yu were thinking like any sensible member f the public. Questin 1 - Business Usage Am I using the Internet r writing this email in pursuance f my duties as a Care Trust emplyee? - Yu shuld be using the Internet r Email s that the answer is YES Questin 2 - Business Usage If a reasnable member f the public, knwledgeable abut my duties and respnsibilities, cnscius f their public tax mnies being spent and having expectatins f a prfessinal NHS, were t be watching ver my shulder wuld they bject r questin my accessing the Internet r writing f this email? - Yu shuld be using the Internet r Email s that the answer is NO Internet and E-Mail Plicy User s Guide Ver. 2.2-2/5
Questin 3 - Business Usage If a reasnable member f the public were t review my writings r actins n the Internet r Email, ut f the cntext f which they were written r perfrmed, wuld they be able t reasnably assume that I was acting r writing in a prfessinal way and am a member f a respectable and prfessinal rganisatin? - Yu shuld be using the Internet r Email s that the answer is YES If yu have any cncerns abut these questins yu shuld ask yur manager, the Infrmatin Gvernance Manager r refer t the Internet and Email Plicy fr clarificatin. Yur manager will judge yur usage against these questins and where yu disagree yu may ask their manager t prvide a judgement. Using yur Accunt fr Persnal Usage When yu get yur accunt yu d nt autmatically have permissin t use it fr persnal reasns. Yur manager will give this permissin t yu, and will mst likely give it t yu nly fr when yu have yur break perids. Yu and yur manager must have a signed agreement allwing yu t have persnal use f the Internet and/r Email. When using the Internet and Email fr persnal use yu must still use it in a way that is acceptable with the Care Trust. It wuld be impssible t make standards fr all the different ways in which the Internet r Email culd be used. Instead we have given the fllwing guidance questins, t be used like the nes abve, fr yu t see if yur persnal usage is acceptable r nt. The questins belw replace the questins abve when yu use the Internet r Email fr persnal use. Questin 1- Persnal Usage If my activities using the Care Trust s Internet and/r Email were being bserved by a reasnable member f the public, wh is cnscius f and respects human nature and expects reasnable self-discipline, prfessinalism f NHS and Care Trust staff and value f tax mnies, wuld they have cause t questin r disagree with my activities r writings? - Yu shuld be using the Internet r Email s that the answer is NO Questin 2 Persnal Usage If my activities, bth in light f cntent and time spent, n the Care Trust s Internet r Email were t be reviewed utside f the cntext f the situatin, but within cntext f this privilege, wuld the Care Trust s resurces, reputatin and prfessinalism, business and interest and/r staff (including myself) be at risk? - Yu shuld be using the Internet r Email s that the answer is NO If yu have any wrries abut these questins yu shuld ask yur manager, the Infrmatin Gvernance Manager r lk t the Internet and Email Plicy. Like the business usage questins abve, yur manager will judge yur usage against these questins and where yu disagree yu may ask their manager t prvide a judgement. Using the Internet Cafés If yu wrk in a Care Trust site that has an Internet Café available fr staff use, yu may use the Café during yur break perids withut needing permissin frm yur manager. All the same standards and guidance fund in this dcument apply hwever. Things that are autmatically cnsidered inapprpriate usage f the Internet r Email We see the fllwing list f materials r actins as autmatic mis-usage f the Internet r Email. Unless yu have a clear agreement between yurself and yur manager fr yu t act this way r see/have these materials yu may be dismissed r disciplined if yu act in this way r see/keep these materials n purpse. Yu and yur manager must have a signed Internet and E-Mail Plicy User s Guide Ver. 2.2-3/5
agreement if yu have a business reasns t d these things r see/have these materials, and it must be giving t yur IT department and the Directr respnsible fr yur service r department. We autmatically cnsider the fllwing nt right fr creating, capturing, dwnlading, transferring, prcessing r string, r therwise engaging in activities using ur Internet r Email tls: Things that are: Prngraphic r sexual Offensive, dergatry, slanderus Illegal, unlawful, malicius r mischievus Activities that are: Illegal r unlawful, r the rganizatin f thse activities Plitical r cmmercial, r rganizatin f thse activities Against cpyright r trademark laws Playing electrnic games ver the netwrk r Internet Changing r aviding ur netwrk security r sftware Spreading cmputer viruses and the like n purpse Using the Internet The Internet is a useful tl fr cllecting and prviding infrmatin. These standards are required when using the Internet: Yu can use the Internet fr persnal reasns nly if yur manager has given yu permissin t d s and yur activities are acceptable t these standards and guidance. D nt attempt t access sites that wuld be banned by this guidance r the Internet and Email Plicy. If yu cme acrss such sites accidentally yu shuld reprt it t yur IT helpdesk immediately. Dwnlading sftware (including screensavers and media players) frm the Internet withut written permissin frm the IT services and yur manager is nt allwed. Yu must nt prvide yur Care Trust email, address r phne numbers fr signing up t nn-wrk related prducts r services. Using Email Emails are cnsidered fficial cmmunicatins f the Care Trust. Therefre when using email fr business r persnal reasns yu must write in a manner acceptable fr an emplyee f the Care Trust and express pinins fitting t an emplyee f the Care Trust. Yu shuld be aware f and act accrdingly t the fllwing: Yu are respnsible fr any email sent frm yur email address. Yu must nt send anything that is against the guidance fund here r the Internet and Email Plicy, breaks the law r culd be seen as slanderus, dergatry r harassing. The nly time when yu are nt respnsible is when smene has permissin t answer yur email while yu are away. Yu may nly speak n behalf f the Care Trust if yu have been given the authrity t d s. If yu receive any email that wuld g against ur Internet and Email Plicy, breaks the law r is slanderus, dergatry r harassment yu shuld infrm yur manager. Internet and E-Mail Plicy User s Guide Ver. 2.2-4/5
Yu shuld always be aware that privacy is never guaranteed as Emails may be able t becme public dcuments thrugh the Freedm f Infrmatin Act 2000 and Data Prtectin Act 1998. When there is a need fr abslute privacy, we recmmend using the pstal service instead. Only use Email fr persnal use when yur manager has given this permissin t yu. D nt send chain letters r mass/glbal mailings frm yur email address. If yu wish t send ut a glbal email please cntact the Cmmunicatins Department. Yu can use Internet Email (such as Htmail r Yah) if yur manager has given yu permissin t use the Internet fr persnal use. Hwever yu must never use the Internet Email fr Care Trust business. We autmatically attach an email disclaimer t the emails that are sent frm ur systems. Yu must nt alter r delete this disclaimer when sending email. Limit the size f the files yu attachment t yur emails unless there is a clear business need fr the attachments. When using email fr Care Trust business yu must take reasnable steps t identify yurself as ur emplyee and prvide yur business cntact details. This als includes cmmunicatins that are nt email related, such as newsrms & chat grups that yu may participate in fr Care Trust business. Yu identificatin shuld include; Yur last name, first initial r name, and business title Identify that yu are an emplyee f the Care Trust Identify the unit, team r department f the Care Trust yu wrk in Where apprpriate, prvide yur cntact infrmatin A sample f this identificatin culd lk like: Je Blgs Email Plicy Writer Camden and Islingtn Mental Health and Scial Care Trust Rm 1, 1st Flr, Green Building, Mnarch Hspital 1 Neverland Rad Lndn, NW1 0PE Phne: 020 1234 5678 Fax: 020 1234 9876 Email: Je.Blgs@candi.nhs.uk Printing The Care Trust supplies paper fr business use. The Care Trust will allw limited persnal printing but wuld prefer that yu supplied the paper t d s. If yu wish t print yur persnal emails r dcuments yu received frm the Internet fr persnal use yu must ask yur manager fr permissin. Internet and E-Mail Plicy User s Guide Ver. 2.2-5/5