ICO Calls On Social Care Leaders To Commit To Better Care Records Now
The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has called on social care leaders to publicly commit to improving how care records are created, handled, and accessed.
The call came at a breakfast briefing attended by 55 senior social work professionals from across the UK, where the data protection regulator urged local authorities and health and social care trusts to commit to supporting its ‘Better Records Together’ campaign and implementing the care records standards.
Better Records Together, launched in December, aims to drive sector-wide transformation in how care records are handled throughout their lifecycle – from creation through to access and disclosure.
As well as highlighting resources available and providing further clarity on the ICO’s regulatory expectations, the briefing was a call to action for senior leaders to implement five steps:
• Champion care records: Make it clear that their organisation’s performance in handling care records is a priority.
• Implement ICO care records standards: Explain to staff why these standards matter, why they are a priority for the organisation and why they are everyone’s responsibility.
• Resource teams: Ensure teams involved in every stage of the process have the resource they need to manage demand.
• Support staff: Provide staff with the necessary training and support so that they can handle care records confidently and in line with ICO standards.
• Invest to transform: Build records now that follow ICO care records standards to reduce future challenges.
Angela Balakrishnan, Executive Director of Strategic Communications and Public Affairs said: “We understand the pressures that local authorities and social work practitioners are under – which is why a collaborative approach is so important. It’s not simply about mandating compliance but working together in the belief that we can all build a trusted system that truly serves the people whose lives these records reflect.
“It was encouraging to see so many attendees from across the social care sector, and I urge all senior leaders who haven’t yet done so to pledge their support – you are the missing piece of the puzzle. While voluntary, the commitment signals to the public and to people with care experience that your organisation is actively working to improve how care records are created, handled and accessed.
“Today’s session forms part of a much wider conversation and one that is underpinned by the understanding that behind every care record is a real person and their life story. This is something that we must never lose sight of.”
Research from the ICO found that people trying to access their care records through a Subject Access Request (SAR) are being systematically let down. Nearly nine in ten people (89%) who accessed their records were left with questions or concerns, over two thirds (71%) experienced poor communication from their local authority, and 69% said the process took longer than expected — with some still waiting up to sixteen years.
As part of the campaign, the regulator has also embarked on a UK-wide supervision pilot running across 2025 and 2026, monitoring the performance of 19 organisations to drive improvements.
The ICO will prioritise enforcement action where there are persistent delays in SAR responses and insufficient action to reduce or prevent harm. It will also consider how well organisations follow the Better Records Together care record standards.
The regulator has already taken enforcement action across the UK, including reprimands issued to Glasgow City Council and City of Edinburgh Council in February 2025, an enforcement notice to Bristol City Council in September 2025 for child social care data delays, and an £18,000 fine to Scottish charity Birthlink in July 2025 for destroying approximately 4,800 personal records.
Local authorities and social care providers that have not yet engaged with Better Records Together are encouraged to visit the campaign webpage to access free resources and find out how to pledge their support.
