?140 buys private firms data on NHS patients

[Northerner]

Private health firms, including Bupa, can pay ?140 to identify potentially millions of patients and then access their health records, detailing intimate medical histories, under a new national arrangement in the NHS, the Guardian can reveal.

The records, which include sensitive information about hospital visits, such as a mother's history of still births, patients' psychiatric treatment and critical care stays, allow individuals to be identified by use of postcode, gender and age as well as their socioeconomic status.

On Monday the government slipped out the news that private insurer Bupa was approved to access England's "sensitive or identifiable" patient data, housed centrally by the Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC). It is now among four private firms that have passed the government's vetting procedures.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2013/may/17/private-firms-data-hospital-patients

 

[Lauras87]

What?? 😱

Surely a patient has to sign a form to let someone view their records otherwise its against data protection.

Even 111 want info from you before they will discuss anything

 

[ypauly]

My understanding Laura is that names are not used but postcodes ages e.t.c like a great big market research thing.

The release of actual patient details was once again blocked in the lords after unsuccessful attempts at their release by the last two governments.

 

[Northerner]

My understanding Laura is that names are not used but postcodes ages e.t.c like a great big market research thing.

The release of actual patient details was once again blocked in the lords after unsuccessful attempts at their release by the last two governments.

They will be able to match up information with things like Electoral Register etc. I'm sure

 

[ypauly]

They will be able to match up information with things like Electoral Register etc. I'm sure

I don't disagree, where there is a will (or a few quid) there is a way.