From 1st July, GP practices nationwide will be required to supply patients’ personal and confidential medical information, on a regular and continuous basis, to NHS Digital, a project known as GPDPR.
The information will consist of your full (historic) GP record, as well as new information added to it on an ongoing basis.
Under the Health and Social Care Act 2012, GP practices have no choice but to allow NHS Digital to extract this information – it is a legal obligation. NHS Digital will become the data controller for that information, will administer the data, and intends to use it for planning health services, commissioning, population health management and for research. This is known as secondary uses of your medical records.
Medical staff treating you in GP surgeries, hospitals, A&E and out-of-hours centres will not use, or be able to use, this database. They have access to all relevant medical information about you in other ways.
Although GP practices cannot object to this information leaving the practice, individual patients and their families can instruct their practice to prohibit the transfer of their personal data, i.e. you have the right to opt-out.
Opting out of GPDPR involves registering an objection at the surgery to all secondary uses of your personal identifiable data, where your explicit consent is not being sought beforehand.
This is known as a Type 1 opt-out
If you don’t want your identifiable patient data to be shared for purposes except for your own care, you can opt-out by registering a Type 1 Opt-out.
This collection will start on 1st July 2021 so if you do not want your data to be shared with NHS Digital please register your Type 1 Opt-out with the surgery ASAP.
The data held in your GP medical records is shared with other healthcare professionals for the purposes of your individual care. It is also shared with other organisations to support health and care planning and research.
If you do not want your personally identifiable patient data to be shared outside of your GP practice for purposes except your own care, you can register an opt-out with your GP practice. This is known as a Type 1 Opt-out.
To register a Type 1 Opt-out, for yourself or for a dependent (if you are the parent or legal guardian of the patient), you can download the form from the link below and then return it to the surgery ASAP.