NETWORK RAIL – MEDICATION AND GDPR

Our ref: HSR/1/10
Head Office Circular: NP/251/22
9th November 2022
To: The Secretary
ALL BRANCHES
REGIONAL COUNCILS

Dear Colleague,

NETWORK RAIL – MEDICATION AND GDPR

Your Dartford & District Branch submitted the following resolution:

Dartford & District Branch are concerned over the agreement, which Network Rail has with Chemist on Call in relation to checking employee medication.

Currently the line manager of any employee will be informed via email by the Chemist on Call, when an employee is checking medication and potential side effects. This email will state the name of the employee and the potential side effects but also name the medication.

This Branch believe that by chemist on call informing the line manager directly, even if the employee checks the medication personally, there is a GDPR breach in the current set up. We agree that the side effects need to be reported, but not the name of the medication, as this could easily lead to a member of staff being identified with a certain sexuality or illness, which is confidential.

Dartford & District Branch call upon the NEC to demand that Network Rail (and TOCs if same system is in place) to stop providing the name of any medication to the line manager.

Your National Executive Committee, at its meeting on 8th November, noted and adopted the following report from its Health and Safety Sub-committee:

We note the resolution from Dartford & District Branch, for which it is thanked.

The General Secretary is instructed to act in line with the resolution and write to Network Rail (and TOCs if the same system is in place) demanding that it stops providing the name of any medication to the line manager for the reasons outlined in the resolution.

Branches and Regional Councils to be informed.

I am acting in line with this instruction. Please bring the contents of this circular to the attention of relevant members.

Yours sincerely

Michael Lynch
General Secretary