St Margarets Medical Practice
0121 706 9796
Open 8.30am to 6.30pm weekdays

NHS Data Collection for Planning and Research

As of  the 1st September 2021 your data will be shared with NHS Digital to help improve health, care and services

Patient data from GP medical records kept by GP practices in England is used every day to improve health, care and services through planning and research, helping to find better treatments and improve patient care. The NHS is introducing an improved way to share this information – called the General Practice Data for Planning and Research data collection.

The Government has recently enacted a law requiring GPs to send copies of their patient’s records to NHS Digital, where they may be used for research and planning. This will include records going back 10 years and virtually anything new we record about you into the future. The BMA and Royal College of GPs do not believe all of this data is needed for planning and research but the law must be complied with.

NHS Digital will collect, 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

If you do not want your data to be used in this way there are two ways to stop it happening.

Stop data leaving the practice, aka “Type 1 objection”.

To stop your GP records being sent from us to NHS Digital in the first place you can ask us to place a “type 1 objection” in your records. We will do this for you. Please let us know before 29th August 2021  using this form Here.     We will of course always share any records necessary for your care, such as a referral to a local hospital.

Stop NHS Digital using your data for planning or research, the “NHS Data Opt Out”.

NHS Digital also collects by default data from other sources, hospitals or clinics etc. This data can be used for planning and research including commercial research outside the NHS.  You can learn more about how NHS Digital uses your data here: Here.

You have the choice to stop this happening  if you wish but it has to be actioned directly with NHS Digital, as a GP practice we cannot do this for you. To stop data NHS Digital collects on you being used for anything other than direct care follow this  link; National Opt Out and scroll to the bottom or by calling 0300 3035678.

 

Date published: 15th June, 2021
Date last updated: 15th June, 2021