Ex-health secretary said 'vast majority' were 'onside' with GP data grab. Consumer champion Which? reckons 20 million don't even know what it is
Around 20 million people in England are in the dark over plans to share their GP medical records with a NHS Digital database, according to a study by not-for-profit consumer watchdog Which?
In a survey of 1,700 adults in England, Which? found 45 per cent were unaware of proposals for their medical records held by their doctor to be sent to the non-departmental government body under the controversial plan dubbed the biggest data grab in the history of the NHS.
The proportion unaware of the plans – and therefore their rights to opt out – is equivalent to 20 million people in England and reveals how ineffective the health department has been in informing patients, as required under data protection law.
The government has now delayed the General Practice Data for Planning and Research (GPDPR) programme, quietly announced in May this year, for a second time. Last week, NHS Digital said the project, which has attracted a wave of criticism from privacy campaigners and healthcare professionals, would only restart after a "campaign of engagement and communication has increased public awareness of the programme, explaining how data is used and patient choices."
It also said the GPDPR would only go ahead in a trusted research environment, whereby third parties analysing the data did not extract it from NHS Digital systems. Meanwhile, patients could opt out at any stage, and have historic data deleted from NHS Digital systems after it had been uploaded, options previously denied. The government unit said it was moving away from a previously fixed date of 1 September, which replaced an earlier deadline of 1 July.
