'Biggest data grab' in NHS history - links to opt out.

Lysander said:
NHS data records are this country's citizen's ID card. We don't need them because they already exist.

"General Practice Data for Planning and Research data collection".

How Orwellian does that sound. Opt out for me.



This is really clichéd and destructive thinking. You may think you're being original but you're actually just playing into the hands of those who will use and abuse your data.

Keeping your data for "research" and "security" are interchangeable and intentionally nebulous terms. Either could mean whatever you want them to mean.
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This system will resolve a lot more issues then create, potentially.

In my opinion even if the Government has all our data (and I am sure they already can access it all anyway through HMRC/Banks/NHS etc) there is no need to worry unless you have something to hide.
End of the day they are the ones making the laws, we vote them into power. If they really wanted to they can make laws etc to get what they wanted anyway as seen with the emergency covid laws that some may/are arguing over restrictions on freedom etc.

As with anything it boils down to the Leaders/Decision makers, even the best of intentions or systems can be used for good or bad.
 
Dolph said:
I'm not sure why people are objecting to the NHS starting to have a credible data strategy...
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I see little issue with the current strategy. They just need to improve the software [already happening], hire better staff [already happening] and security.

Robi_uk said:
In my opinion even if the Government has all our data... there is no need to worry unless you have something to hide.
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:(
 
I've been in hospital a lot in my life, and I can say that treatment will be a lot faster and more accurate if the doctor that is treating you as all the information at his or her finger tips.

Also I have to say that unless you have a particularly good GP then the chances are you'll be directed to hospital or another facility these days anyway.

The only caution I have about this story is I hope the data will be secure.
 
GDPR requires the change of useage of personal data to be agreed by the data subject, so this shouldn't be an 'opt out' thing really. They should have to contact the data subject, inform them this is what they want to do and then give them the option to refuse.
 
Dolph said:
I'm not sure why people are objecting to the NHS starting to have a credible data strategy...
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Selling personal data on an entire country's population to whichever business thinks they can profit from it is a credible data strategy, but is it a good data strategy? What will be done with the money? There doesn't seem to be any strategy for that.

The plan mentions research, but research is essentially the acquiring of data and so buying personal data on an entire country's population is research. There's nothing in the plan about what research will be done or what businesses the data will be sold to.

Framing it as efficiency, improved service and benevolent medical research is a great PR move. Releasing it without publicity during a pandemic is also a great PR move as it greatly lessens the chances of more than a few people reading anything about it. Making it opt out rather than opt in likewise. Deception is part of both politics and business and this plan is both politics and business.

Also, of course, the data will not be held securely (because that's expensive and inconvenient) so it will all be stolen anyway. Probably repeatedly.

gav_172 said:
Exactly, the inefficiencies this causes with hospitals not being able to see your doctors notes and vice versa, not to mention the dangers from allergies etc is madness! Its a major bug bare of many that work in the NHS (Including my wife) so the sooner it happens the better!
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There might be some benefit to people as a side effect, which is something, but that's not what the plan is for. If it was, the gathered data wouldn't be treated as a resource to be sold. For "research", of course. Because for-profit businesses routinely pay lots of money for personal data on people purely for completely benevolent reasons and not at all for increased power and profit.
 
deuse said:
Wonder how much google is paying for the data :cry:
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It's allegedly valued in the region of £10,000,000,000, so our government will probably sell it to Google for £50 and a few pretend jobs for selected politicians after they retire from politics.
 
200sols said:
Why would they be concerned about something they don't know about?
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It still concerns them and their data, so they are termed 'concerned' persons, whether they know or not. Minutiae of language, is all.

I'm wondering what nefarious things people think they'd be doing with all this data, anyway. There are enough leaks in things like the NHS that we'd quickly hear if our data was being sold, right?
 
Lysander said:
I see little issue with the current strategy. They just need to improve the software [already happening], hire better staff [already happening] and security.

:(
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The NHS doesn't currently have a coherent data strategy, a mass of independent, inconsistent, incoherent, and incompatible computer systems and archaic paper records isn't a strategy. It's a throwback several decades that fails patients and staff alike.
 
Oh noes people might have my data....


Says people who have a device tracking their every movement in their pockets, update Facebook and other social media constantly. Whilst updating facial recognition constantly with new photos.

Am I the only one that thinks my data ain't exactly interesting?
 
Dolph said:
The NHS doesn't currently have a coherent data strategy
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Actually they do have a strategy - our trust does anyway - but it hasn't been implemented yet. We're in the process of hiring staff and developing it. It's quite a big undertaking, but it's getting there.
 
Lysander said:
Actually they do have a strategy - our trust does anyway - but it hasn't been implemented yet. We're in the process of hiring staff and developing it. It's quite a big undertaking, but it's getting there.
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Data strategy and governance shouldn't be a trust level issue, it's a national level issue to establish minimum standards, data governance, interoperability standards and so on. Trust level should be how to implement and work within that strategy and ensuring data sharing compliance.
 
Dolph said:
Data strategy and governance shouldn't be a trust level issue, it's a national level issue to establish minimum standards, data governance, interoperability standards and so on. Trust level should be how to implement and work within that strategy and ensuring data sharing compliance.
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Agreed, though the chief concern is security of patient data. There was one such scheme a few years ago which was scrapped for this reason.

https://www.theguardian.com/technol...p-single-database-of-patients-medical-details

One can only hope they've got their act together this time round but I wouldn't bet on it.

Interestingly, it was noted to be of vital importance that the public be told what the data could be used for and how they could opt out, but this time round it's being flown under the radar? I wasn't even aware of this central database this time round.
 
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They made it long winded to opt-out I see...

This will get sold to companies, then it will get stolen and miss-used. Like the DVLA database.
 
Lysander said:
Agreed, though the chief concern is security of patient data. There was one such scheme a few years ago which was scrapped for this reason.

https://www.theguardian.com/technol...p-single-database-of-patients-medical-details

One can only hope they've got their act together this time round but I wouldn't bet on it.

Interestingly, it was closed because the public should have been told what the data could be used for and how they could opt out, this time round it's being flown under the radar?
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The last project was an absolute mess, I wouldn't be surprised if the next is just as bad.

The problem is the thinking seems to be either one single giant database or nothing, which is massively out of date with how the large corporates are working in the modern world.
 
Most people in this thread need to read the "What's collected" and "What's not collected" sections in the above link.

In short there's no personally identifiable data being collected by this program.
 
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