Confidentiality and disclosure
Know when patient information should stay confidential, when consent should be sought and when disclosure may be justified by law or public interest.
AKT confidentiality, safeguarding and data protection
These AKT questions are professional judgement questions. They test whether you can protect confidentiality, share information safely, recognise safeguarding risk and handle recorded consultations or health records properly.
Quick answer
For AKT confidentiality and safeguarding, revise GMC confidentiality principles, child and adult safeguarding, Gillick competence, Fraser guidance, information sharing without consent, recorded-consultation storage and secure handling of health records.
What AKT questions test
Children and young people
Revise Gillick competence, Fraser guidance, parental access to records, sexual health confidentiality and when child protection overrides confidentiality.
Safeguarding
Recognise abuse and neglect, know when to share information, document your rationale and avoid delaying action where a child or adult may be at risk.
Recorded consultations
AKT scenarios may test consent, secure storage, personal devices, cloud storage and handling recordings as sensitive clinical information.
Data protection in practice
Focus on access to records, privacy notices, data minimisation, secure handling, subject access requests and safe disposal of health records.
Recent feedback signals
April 2026
The official feedback report highlighted data protection around recorded consultations and safeguarding children with confidentiality.
October 2025
The report highlighted confidentiality guidance, paediatric safeguarding and acute child-health themes as areas that caused difficulty.
Exam pattern
These questions usually reward practical judgement: who needs to know, what is proportionate, whether consent is needed and what should be documented.
Four rules for exam scenarios
Start with safety
If there is a risk of serious harm, safeguarding and public-interest disclosure can override confidentiality. Do not delay action to seek consent if that increases risk.
Ask whether consent is possible
If sharing is not urgent, consider consent first. If consent is refused, decide whether disclosure is still justified and document the reasoning.
Share the minimum necessary
Information sharing should be relevant, proportionate and limited to the people or agencies who need it for care, safeguarding or legal reasons.
Treat recordings as clinical data
Recorded consultations should be handled with the same seriousness as health records: secure storage, approved systems and no casual personal-device workflow.
AKT confidentiality FAQ
Is confidentiality tested in the MRCGP AKT?
Yes. Confidentiality and information sharing sit within professional and organisational AKT content. Recent feedback reports have highlighted confidentiality, data protection and recorded-consultation scenarios.
What should I revise for AKT safeguarding questions?
Revise child and adult safeguarding principles, information sharing, consent, documentation, escalation pathways, Gillick competence, Fraser guidance and when public-interest disclosure can override confidentiality.
Can confidentiality be broken for safeguarding?
Yes, when disclosure is required by law or justified in the public interest, including to protect a child, young person, adult at risk or others from serious harm. The AKT usually tests proportionate sharing and clear documentation.
Why are recorded consultations relevant to the AKT?
Recorded consultations combine consent, confidentiality, data protection and secure storage. Recent AKT feedback has specifically highlighted data protection around recorded consultations.
Official sources
This is revision guidance, not official RCGP or GMC advice. Check current RCGP, GMC and NHS guidance for professional or clinical decisions. Last reviewed June 2026.
October sitting
Oct 26
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days
Keep moving, even on tired days.
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