The NHS has confirmed that its collection of GP Data for Future Planning and Research will be deferred from July 2021 to September 1.
The health service has explained that the delay will allow for more time to confer with patients, doctors, health charities and other key stakeholders to strengthen the data collection plan even further and allow for better use of data that will save lives, improve the standard of care and health and benefit millions across the country.
Simon Bolton, CEO of the health service’s information and technology partner, NHS Digital, commented: “Data saves lives and has huge potential to rapidly improve care and outcomes, as the response to the Covid-19 pandemic has shown. The vaccine rollout could not have been delivered without effective use of data to ensure it reached the whole population.
"We are absolutely determined to take people with us on this mission. We take our responsibility to safeguard the data we hold incredibly seriously.
"We intend to use the next two months to speak with patients, doctors, health charities and others to strengthen the plan even further."
The existing NHS system for collecting patient data is over a decade old and is due to be replaced, with NHS Digital set to introduce a new and improved system for data collection, dubbed ‘GP Data for Planning and Research’.
Information commissioner Elizabeth Denham and Labour shadow health minister Alex Norris have both welcomed the delay, to allow for more time to engage with stakeholders over the plans.
Norris has previously criticised the government for a lack of "public engagement" over the plans and warned that any intentions to "take data from GPs, assemble it in one place and sell it to unknown commercial interests for purposes unknown" had "no legitimacy".
The new data collection programme has been developed in collaboration with doctors, patients and data and privacy experts, and NHS Digital maintains that it has been and remains committed to transparency with patients and the public around how data is collected and used.
As part of the process, NHS Digital has consulted fully with GPs, the British Medical Association and the Royal College of General Practitioners, taking on board their input, concerns and desire to enable patients and the general public to make informed decisions on how their data is used.
GP records will be protected under the new data system. Any data collected is protected before it leaves the GP surgery to ensure patients cannot be directly identified from the data, while allowing that data safe linkage to other records.
Patient data can then only be accessed by organisations who will use the data for legitimate purposes such as healthcare planning and research. Only specific elements of data required for these purposes will be released.
Any requests for data access are subject to independent oversight and scrutiny, with audits to be specially carried out to ensure data is used for the purposes stated in the requests for access.
Patients who wish to opt out of sharing their data for planning and research purposes can still do so through the National Data Opt Out.
