Responsibilities for records retention and disposal

Head of information governance

The head of information governance is responsible for:

• formally approving our retention and disposal policy
   
• the development and maintenance of retention and disposal schedules detailing specific records retention and disposal policies
   
• authorising divergence from records retention and disposal policy contained in the retention schedules for legitimate reasons

Designated officers and senior managers

Designated officers and senior managers are responsible for:

• assigning responsibilities for records management, retention and disposal
   
• establishing procedures for the management, retention and disposal of records in all media and formats and the system(s) in which records are held
   
• ensuring ICT equipment and storage media are disposed of securely ensuring all records, data and information are removed in such a way that it is not recoverable

Business unit managers and team leaders

Business unit managers and team leaders are responsible for ensuring:

• record retention policies are implemented in their unit or team
   
• record keeping systems and arrangement of records enable identification of records due for disposal
   
• written procedures are in place for records management, retention and disposal
   
• records due for disposal are routinely identified and reviewed to ensure they are no longer required
   
• divergence from records retention and disposal policy is authorised
   
• the Information Governance Unit is notified of changes affecting records retention and disposal
   
• staff are aware of policies to retain and dispose of records
    
• staff dispose of records only in accordance with policies set out in our retention schedules
   
• records are disposed of appropriately considering their sensitivity, security classification and the media and format(s) in which they are held in line
   
• ICT equipment and storage media are disposed of securely ensuring all records, data and information are removed in such a way that it is not recoverable
   
• records of potential historic interest or research value are identified and transferred with agreement to our archive service
   
• evidence of the disposal process is kept

All staff

All staff are responsible for:

• following procedures and guidance for managing, retaining and disposing of records
   
• only disposing of records in accordance with records retention and disposal policies contained in our retention schedules (if authorised to do so)
   
• ensuring that any proposed divergence from records retention and disposal policies is authorised