Plan for NHS to collect patient data should be delayed

The Labour Party has said that current DHSC plans to extract patient data from GPs in England should be paused from doing so until people are told what information will be made available.

The scheme, to be carried out by NHS Digital, is expected to collect information on people's treatments, referrals and appointments over the past 10 years, alongside other data from medical records held on GPs' systems.

However, the opposition party is calling for a public consultation and information campaign to allay privacy fears among medical professionals. Concerns from MPs have joined those of the British Medical Association and Royal College of General Practitioners, who believe that the plans are being brought in too quickly, without enough patient consultation - and they also want a delay.

Under the current timeframe, the BMA says patients have until 23 June to decline having their coded health data given to NHS Digital. Daily ‘extracts’ of the coded data from practice systems to NHS Digital will then begin from 1 July, it said

BCS has warned that most of the 55 million patients whose GP records will soon be shared with third parties will be unaware of the plan due to a 'total lack of engagement' by NHS Digital. The technology group has claimed that the absence of a public information campaign, or letters sent to individuals explaining how their data will be used will erode public and professional trust in digital aspects of the health service.

Dr Philip Scott, chair of the Health and Care Executive at BCS said: “NHS Digital don't seem to have learned the lessons of the care.data fiasco. This is well intentioned and has great opportunities to progress research, but the total lack of engagement to build the necessary public and professional trust is astonishing."