Statement of Commitment

The College aspires to manage its records in line with the requirements of BS ISO 15489-1:2016. This states that managing records encompasses:

“Creating and capturing records to meet requirements for evidence of business activity;

“Taking appropriate action to protect their authenticity, reliability, integrity and usability as their business context and requirements for management change over time.”

The BS ISO standard also states that records management must support the business of the organisation. In this context, the College recognises that its records and information are a core asset and that that good management of this asset is necessary to:

• Support effective and efficient management of the College and its core functions
• Inform policy formation and decision-making
• Enable the College to comply with its legal and regulatory obligations
• Support accountability
• Protect the College’s rights and interests
• Facilitate business continuity
• Reduce the potential financial, legal and reputational risks to the College from loss of records, inability to locate records in good time, destruction or degradation of records from incorrect storage or use of inaccurate or unreliable records
• Ensure that records of historical value are retained for posterity, enabling future research, maintaining cultural identity and documentation of the College’s history.

The College is committed to creating and keeping the records that document its key activities and managing those records in such a way that they can be found, accessed and used for as long as they are required, in support of the College’s aims and interests.

Scope of this Policy

The College’s records comprise any recorded information (including printed or handwritten documents, computer files, emails, videos, websites or other digital resources) received or produced in the course of College business and retained as evidence of its functions, transactions and activities.  All such records remain the property of the College and are covered by this policy.

Roles and Responsibilities

The College has a corporate responsibility to maintain its records and record-keeping systems in accordance with the regulatory environment (see 4. below). All staff and Senior Members of the College should recognise the need to preserve and manage records of legal, practical and historical value for the College. Particular areas of responsibility are set out below:

The College Officer with overall responsibility for this policy is the Senior Bursar. The College Committee with oversight of this policy is the Finance Committee. The College Council has ultimate responsibility and accountability for approval and implementation of this policy.

The College’s Records Manager is responsible for promoting and monitoring compliance with this policy, for establishing and encouraging good records management practices and procedures and for providing the necessary support and guidance. The Records Manager reports to the Senior Bursar and College Data Protection lead.

Members of College with tutorial responsibilities are responsible for ensuring that records concerning students’ progress and performance are preserved, kept securely and returned to the Tutorial Department for retention by the College.

The Development Director is responsible for ensuring that alumni records are managed discretely from other College departments and in accordance with legislative requirements.

The IT Manager works with the Records Manager to identify IT solutions to facilitate records management and provides advice on best use of existing infrastructure and data security in order to support good records management practices and procedures.

The College Archivist is responsible for secure and appropriate retention and retrieval of records of historical value or of long-term legal or administrative importance. The Records Manager and the Archivist work together to ensure appropriate transition of records to the archives.

Any practitioner in the Health Centre will manage medical records confidentially in line with the rules of his or her professional body.

Heads of Department are responsible for ensuring that all staff in their departments are aware of their record-keeping responsibilities and that records documenting the activities and transactions of their departments are created, kept, used and disposed of appropriately.

Individual Employees are responsible for documenting their work as the College requires, ensuring that records for which they are responsible are accurate and are maintained and disposed of in accordance with College procedures and guidelines received from the Records Manager.

Related Policies

The College conducts its business in accordance with the Data Protection Act 2018 and the Freedom of Information Act 2000. This policy will support the College in complying with such legislation.

Status

This policy was developed in consultation with Heads of Department and other members of staff.  It will be reviewed at least every 3 years or whenever new legislation is introduced. This policy is publicly available under the College’s Freedom of Information Publication Scheme.

Last reviewed: Records Manager, November 2021