National Opt-Out and GDPR

Data Sharing and Privacy Notices

For more information about this visit NHS Digital

As of 1st September 2021 your data will be shared with NHS Digital to help improve health, care and services

Patient data from GP medical records kept by GP practices in England is used every day to improve health, care and services through planning and research, helping to find better treatments and improve patient care. The NHS is introducing an improved way to share this information - called the General Practice Data for Planning and Research data collection.

NHS Digital will collect, analyse, publish and share this patient data to improve health and care services for everyone. This includes:

informing and developing health and social care policy
planning and Commissioning health and care services
taking steps to protect public health (including managing and monitoring the coronavirus pandemic)
in exceptional circumstances, providing you with individual care
enabling healthcare and scientific research

Any data that NHS Digital collects will only be used for health and care purposes. It is never shared with marketing or insurance companies.

More information is available at digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/data-collections-and-data-sets/data-collections/general-practice-data-for-planning-and-research

NHS Digital will not collect any patient data for patients who have already registered a Type 1 Opt-out in line with current policy. If this changes, patients who have registered a Type 1 Opt-out will be informed.

If you do not want your patient data shared with NHS Digital, you can register a Type 1 Opt-out with us. You can register a Type 1 Opt-out at any time. You can also change your mind at any time and withdraw a Type 1 Opt-out.

Data sharing with NHS Digital will start on 1st September 2021.

If you have already registered a Type 1 Opt-out with your GP practice your data will not be shared with NHS Digital.

If you register a Type 1 Opt-out after 1st September 2021, no more of your data will be shared with NHS Digital. NHS Digital will however still hold the patient data which was shared with us before you registered the Type 1 Opt-out.

If you do not want NHS Digital to share your identifiable patient data with anyone else for purposes beyond your own care, then you can also register a National Data Opt-out (also known as Type 2 Opt out).

What do you need to do?

If you are happy for your data to be shared as above, and haven't previously Opt'd out - you do not need to do anything.

Type 1 OPT-OUT - to stop sharing your details with NHS digital (or to opt back in, if you have previous opt'd out)

Complete the form available below and return to the surgery.

Type 1 Opt-out form (PDF, 215KB)

Type 2 OPT-OUT (Also known as National Data Opt-out) - If you do not want NHS Digital to share your identifiable patient data with anyone else for purposes beyond your own care, which has been already shared with them (or to opt back in, if you have previous opt'd out)

NOTE: You can only do this via the following ways - as a GP practice we cannot opt you out of Type 2 (National Data Opt-out)

You need to, either;

Call 0300 303 5678

or, complete the online form via YOUR NHS MATTERS

General Data Protection Regulation

The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is a new law that determines how your personal data is processed and kept safe, and the legal rights that you have in relation to your own data. The regulation applies from May 25th 2018, and will apply even after the UK leaves the UK.

The GDPR is similar to the Data Protection Act (DPA) 1998 (which the practice already complies with), but strengthens many of the DPA's principles.

In this section of the website you will find our Privacy Notices, information on how we use your data and other resources.

General Information about GDPR

What is GDPR? (updated 20/05/18) (PDF, 605KB)

Important Information for Patients

Privacy Notice Enhanced Access (updated October 2022)

Practice Privacy Poster (updated 22/05/18)

Provision of Direct Care (updated 22/05/18)

Medical Research (updated 14/05/18)

Meeting our Legal Requirements

National Screening Programmes

Subject Access Requests

Forms and information will appear here

National Opt-Out Preference

Commissioned by the Secretary of State for Health, Dame Fiona Caldicott, the National Data Guardian for Health Care (NDG) has reviewed data security and data sharing in the health and social care system. The so-called 'Caldicott Review' provides for people to be able to make an informed choice about whether to share data or not.

Patients and public who decide they do not want their personally identifiable data used for planning and research purposes will be able to set their national opt-out preference.

Patients have the right to opt out of their personal confidential information being used for the following purposes:

Providing local services and running the NHS and social care
Supporting research and improving treatment of care

For more information visit:

www.nhs.uk/your-nhs-data-matters

Patients can view or change their national data opt-out choice at any time by using the online service at www.nhs.uk/your-nhs-data-matters or by calling 0300 3035678.

Exceptional circumstances

The opt-out will not apply where there is a mandatory legal requirement or an overriding public interest. These will be areas where there is a legal duty to share information (for example a fraud investigation) or an overriding public interest (for example to tackle the ebola virus).