Dear Patient,
We have been asked to share the following important information with you:
Eastfield House Surgery is supporting vital health and care planning and research by sharing your data with NHS Digital. For more information about this see the GP Practice Privacy Notice for General Practice Data for Planning and Research: www.digital.nhs.uk – General Practice Data for Planning and Research (GPDPR).
This collection will start on 1 September 2021
If you do not want your data to be shared with NHS Digital please register your Type 1 Opt-out with us by 24 August 2021. Forms are available on our website below and at Reception.
Data may be shared from the GP medical records about:
- any living patient registered at a GP practice in England when the collection started – this includes children and adults
- any patient who died after 1 July 2021, and was previously registered at a GP practice in England when the data collection started
NHS Digital will not collect patients’ names or addresses. Any other data that could directly identify patients (such as NHS Number, date of birth, full postcode) is replaced with unique codes which are produced by de-identification software before the data is shared with NHS Digital.
This process is called pseudonymisation and means that patients will not be identified directly in the data. NHS Digital will be able to use the software to convert the unique codes back to data that could directly identify patients in certain circumstances, and where there is a valid legal reason.
If you would prefer that your identifiable patient data is only shared for your own health care purposes, you can opt-out by registering a Type 1 Opt-out or a National Data Opt-out, or both.
These opt-outs are different and they are explained in more detail below. Your individual care will not be affected if you opt-out using either option (or both, because data about your health held by other healthcare providers, such as hospitals, may also be shared with NHSD by them).
A Type 1 Opt-out has to be registered by your Practice and coded in your record; please let us know if you want to register a type 1 opt out. Please see following link:
A National Opt-out can be done without contacting your practice, at www.nhs.uk/your-nhs-data-matters or via the NHS Digital Contact Centre: 0300 303 5678 – Monday to Friday, 09:00 to 17:00 (excluding bank holidays).
Type 1 Opt-out (opting out of NHS Digital collecting your data)
NHSD will not collect data from GP practices about patients who have registered a Type 1 Opt-out with their practice. More information about Type 1 Opt-outs is in the GP Data for Planning and Research Transparency Notice.
This collection will start on 1 September 2021 so if you do not want your data to be shared with NHS Digital, please register your Type 1 Opt-out with your GP practice by 24 August 2021.
If you register a Type 1 Opt-out after this collection has started, no more of your data will be shared with NHSD. They will however still hold the patient data which was shared before you registered the Type 1 Opt-out.
If you don’t mind the NHS making use of your data for planning and research, but object to sharing of it with other organisations, then you only need the 2nd type of opt-out:
National Data Opt-out (opting out of NHS Digital sharing your data with other organizations)
NHSD will still collect data from GP medical records about patients who have registered a National Data Opt-out. The National Data Opt-out applies to identifiable patient data about your health, which is called confidential patient information.
This opt out means NHS Digital won’t share any confidential patient information about you – this includes GP data, or other info, such as hospital data – with other organisations, unless there is an exemption.
To find out more information or register your National Opt-out, follow the link below or call the NHS Digital Contact Centre: 0300 303 5678 – Monday to Friday, 09:00 to 17:00 (excluding bank holidays).
For more information, visit: www.digital.nhs.uk – General Practice Data for Planning and Research: NHS Digital Transparency Notice