Hancock extends emergency patient data sharing rules

Matt Hancock has extended four national data sharing orders which allow GPs and NHS organisations to share confidential patient information, as part of the ongoing response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The data sharing instructions were initially put in place in March when the pandemic broke out in earnest, and they were due to expire at the end of September.

Under the arrangement GPs, NHS providers, NHS Digital, NHS England/Improvement, local authorities and the UK Biobank can share information about patients’ treatment and medical history - if doing so would help their response to COVID-19.

The data sharing instructions have now been extended until 31 March next year. 

According to the Department of Health and Social Care’s update which notified organisations of the extension, NHS entities can share information for reasons such as helping to support the NHS Test and Trace service, identifying further patients at risk of COVID-19, and understanding information about patient access to health and adult social care services.

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Source: HSJ, 20 August 2020