“ Who are we clapping for… ”

First and foremost I want to give an honourable shoutout to the NHS. I think they’ve done an outstanding job during this pandemic and the rollout of the vaccines has been executed very well. For my blog readers in different regions of the world, the NHS is a health care and medical service in the UK that is government-funded and is free to UK residents.

NHS Digital is responsible for the collecting, analysing, and sharing of patient data across the health system including general practice. This a service that will benefit the GPs in terms of making their jobs easier, so that they can provide better care for their patients.

The collection of data was meant to happen on 1st July 2021 but has now been delayed until 1st September 2021. Any living patient that is registered at a GP will have their data shared with NHS Digital. This has sparked a lot of concern with the public. So should you worry?

Well the NHS website has said that it ‘will not collect patients names or addresses’. That’s good then. It has also stated that any data that could help identify a patient is replaced by unique codes, the unique codes are produced by de-identification software through a process called pseudonymisation (e.g. Kwame = Jamie). I don’t know much about it, but this method seems a bit fugazi still. A few alarm bells are ringing, like do the codes change after each pseudonymisation process? Also, what if a hacker can develop an algorithm to associate pseudonyms with individuals? This method comes across as quite simple. All I know is that, if it was me doing this I would have chosen another method. If you think I’m going to tell you for free, you’re just as mad as them. This is 7-figure type information. However, before I go off on a tangent, NHS Digital will be able to convert the unique codes back to normal data to identify the patients. Please see the below table which shows what information they will/will not collect: 

The NHS has given us the option to opt-out of our data being collected with NHS Digital. There are two opt-out options. Type 1 Opt-out means that NHS Digital will not collect data from your GP. However, if you opt-out after 1 September 2021 then the data already collected will be held. In a nutshell, this stops NHS Digital from collecting your data.

The other opt-out option is a National Data opt-out. Now this stops NHS Digital from sharing your data. So, if you select this opt-out option NHS Digital will collect data from your GP but will not share it with any other organisation unless there is an exemption (they have stated this on their website).

All this data collection talk can be quite worrying, but I think that you should weigh up the pros and cons of it all in regards to your health. If we look at the COVID-19 vaccine rollout, it wouldn’t have been possible without the data the NHS had. They wouldn’t have been able to reach all the elderly and high-risk individuals. On the other hand, I do understand why people would be quick to opt-out, seeing as data is a huge thing, and the question of how safe this data is in the hands of the NHS remains. We know that they’ve been hit with a ransomware attack in the past, but this is a new age and opportunity to do things better this time around. 

So will you opt-out?

Link to Opting-out: https://www.nhs.uk/your-nhs-data-matters/manage-your-choice/

Love & Guidance

TT