Full GP data copy to be taken from Summer 2021

From some undetermined date, and every day thereafter, the Government has Directed NHS Digital to take from your and your family’s GP records:

  • “data about diagnoses, symptoms, observations, test results, medications, allergies, immunisations, referrals, recalls and appointments, including information about physical, mental and sexual health” (more details)
  • “data on sex, ethnicity and sexual orientation”
  • “data about staff who have treated patients”

You can opt out if you wish.

The collection date was originally 1st July, but a delay was announced to 1st September, and then again to when 4 tests are met. (if you see NHS Digital say there is “no 30 September deadline”, that is text from 2020 that they’ve not yet updated)

NHS Digital states that: “Data may be shared from the GP medical records about … any living patient registered at a GP practice in England when the collection started – this includes children and adults”.

It goes on to say the data will be shared “from 1 July 2021” (now) from 1st September from some future date, although NHS Digital says that you only have until a week before that date to opt out – if you haven’t opted out by the time your entire GP history is first sent to NHS Digital this summer, your information will never be deleted. The Government’s 4 tests that delayed the collection beyond September state that this will change prior to collection beginning, but it is not yet in place, and may change.

From later this year, data collected from your and your family’s GP records will be disseminated dangerously by NHS Digital alongside your other NHS records, including into the secret ‘VIP lanes’ for GP data. 

Documents about the programme (formally called ‘General Practice Data for Planning and Research’) were published on 12 May 2021 – the morning after the Queen’s Speech (in which none of this was mentioned)…