NHS postpones patient data sharing with 3rd parties till September 2021

On May 12th, 2021 NHS released a press statement saying that it intends to share data of more than 300,000 patients with 3rd parties and the purpose will be to use that information for research and development purposes. And those who intend to go against this info share can submit in writing to the GP that they are against the decision of NHS to share their data respectively.

At the end of May, a popular news resource from New York reported that UK NHS is planning to share its data with a 

colorado-based company named Palantir- known to supply data sets and analytical software to companies indulging in public surveillance.

Now, the news is out that NHS has postponed the data-sharing program till September this year as it first wants to counter the crisis that emerged due to COVID 19 Spread and then focuses on others.

Till then, the Government funded healthcare system will see that the data that is being harvested for the sharing program is accurate and is in compliance with all privacy laws.

Jo Churchill, the health minister confirmed the news and added that the data program will do take place this year and will be done scientifically so that access to information is done with the utmost security and privacy.

What’s more, the data shared will be done after the identity of the patient is concealed and instead, a code is assigned to it by NHS Digital for reference in the future.

Cybersecurity Insiders has learned that the data share scheme will only use information such as diagnosis, treatment, referrals, and medication over the past 10 years and will omit the ones that were generated before 2010. Also, the data share will include the information related to medical records held on GPs systems.

Note- This data share program aims to save the lives of people when pandemics such as the one witnessed in the year 2019 in the form of the Wuhan Virus arise. Scientists and researchers will use such info to analyze and find a proper medication for future diseases. Like how the medicine related to the 2000’s SARS is being used in the vaccines produced to counter the spread of COVID 19 in countries like the UK, India, and the US.