Sharing information in an emergency situation to prevent injury or damage to the health of a person Emergencies You can share personal information where disclosure is urgently required to prevent injury or damage to the health of any person. Where possible, get permission from the individual before sharing information with a third party. Otherwise, share the information only if it is a matter of life or death. Compassionate disclosure It can be appropriate to share information in response to requests of a compassionate nature (such as attempts to find out a student's whereabouts in the event of a family bereavement). However the relevant Head of School must authorise sharing the information. If it is not appropriate to pass on confirmation of a student's whereabouts, or confirm they are a student, you can offer to pass on a message on a conditional basis. Passing on a message guidance and model text Distressed students If the situation involves a distressed student, refer to the University's guidance for staff on dealing with distressed students. Helping distressed students This article was published on 2023-11-09
