NHS England seeks permission to send patient-identifiable data to commissioners

[Northerner]

NHS England has applied for a legal exemption so that patient-identifiable information can be extracted and shared with a variety of commissioning groups and information bodies.

If granted, the exemption - called the 251 exemption - would allow the health secretary to set aside the legal duty of confidentiality in certain cases. The decision, which will be made on 18 April, could give NHS England the ability to share data extracted from GP practices with CCGs, commissioning support units and the Health and Social Care Information Centre.

Under the clause, which is in the 2006 Health and Social Care Act, certain bodies are able to disclose confidential patient information for medical purposes. This is on the condition that it is not possible to use anonymised information and seeking consent is not practicable, taking the cost and technology available into account.

http://www.pulsetoday.co.uk/practic...o-commissioners/20002470.article#.UVwe0JO2aSo

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[AlisonM]

Under what unimaginable circumstances would it not be possible to anonymise the data? I can't think of any and, having done it a few times, I can say it's a tedious but simple process. It's just sheer laziness and shows a shocking lack of respect for the individual's right to privacy.