Leaked government review plans new law to push data sharing

An official review carried out for the health secretary, leaked to HSJ,  reveals plans to bolster the law to require greater sharing of patient data, saying it would help improve safety for those wrongly prescribed drugs.

A draft of the report on overprescribing, carried out for Matt Hancock by NHS England, says a major problem is that clinicians in different parts of the system can’t see what’s been prescribed and dispensed elsewhere. It says “wider access” should be given, which would also ensure “many eyes” are looking at the data to detect patterns or problems.

This should include making it a requirement that prescribing apps make their data openly available, according to the report by chief pharmaceutical officer Keith Ridge.

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Source: HSJ, 16 November 2020