NHS Digital Data Collection Policy

In a letter dated 19 July 2021, the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Jo Churchill, set out a new process for commencing data collection, moving away from a previously fixed date of 1 September. The letter is available on the NHS Digital website:

https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/data-collections-and-data-sets/data-collections/general-practice-data-for-planning-and-research

There is now NO go live date for September.

You have a choice about whether you want your confidential patient information to be used in this way. If you are happy with this use of information you do not need to do anything. Learn more and opt-out on the NHS website here: https://www.nhs.uk/your-nhs-data-matters/manage-your-choice/

How sharing patient data with NHS Digital helps the NHS and you:

The NHS needs data about the patients it treats in order to plan and deliver its services and to ensure that care and treatment provided is safe and effective. The General Practice Data for Planning and Research data collection will help the NHS to improve health and care services for everyone by collecting patient data that can be used to do this. For example patient data can help the NHS to:

• monitor the long-term safety and effectiveness of care
• plan how to deliver better health and care services
• prevent the spread of infectious diseases
• identify new treatments and medicines through health research

GP practices already share patient data for these purposes, but this new data collection will be more efficient and effective.

We have agreed to share the patient data we look after in our practice with NHS Digital who will securely store, analyse, publish and share this patient data to improve health and care services for everyone. This includes:

• informing and developing health and social care policy
• planning and commissioning health and care services
• taking steps to protect public health (including managing and monitoring the coronavirus pandemic)
• in exceptional circumstances, providing you with individual care 
• enabling healthcare and scientific research

This means that we can get on with looking after our patients and NHS Digital can provide controlled access to patient data to the NHS and other organisations who need to use it to improve health and care for everyone.

Contributing to research projects will benefit us all as better and safer treatments are introduced more quickly and effectively without compromising your privacy and confidentiality.

NHS Digital has engaged with the British Medical Association (BMA), Royal College of GPs (RCGP) and the National Data Guardian (NDG) to ensure relevant safeguards are in place for patients and GP practices.

To view further information please click here to navigate to the NHS Digital Webpage which provides up to date information on the Data Collection.

Opting out of NHS Digital collecting your data

If you wish to register a Type 1 Opt-out with your GP practice before data sharing starts with NHS Digital, this should be done by following the instructions on the NHS.UK website, on the links above.

If you do not want NHS Digital to share your identifiable patient data with anyone else for purposes beyond your own care, then you can also register a National Data Opt-out.

Learn more from NHS Digital here:

https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/data-collections-and-data-sets/data-collections/general-practice-data-for-planning-and-research/transparency-notice#purpose-of-this-transparency-notice