NHS England has asked all GP practices, including School Lane Surgery, to provide pseudonymised health information to a secure research and data analytics service called OpenSAFELY.
OpenSAFELY is an NHS England managed platform that allows approved researchers and analysts to safely study health information to support important public health work. This includes improving NHS care, planning services and supporting medical research.
Your privacy is protected
Your personal details such as your name, full address and NHS number are not shared with researchers. Instead, the information is pseudonymised. This means details that could identify you are removed or replaced with a coded reference. For example, your date of birth is replaced with your age and your postcode is replaced with a broader geographical area.
Strict legal, technical and security safeguards are in place to protect patient data at all times.
How OpenSAFELY works
OpenSAFELY does not move patient data outside of secure NHS systems. The software works inside the secure data centres of the main GP IT system suppliers used by practices. Approved users write and test their analysis using dummy data and never see real patient records. When analysis is run on real data, users can only see anonymous summary results that do not identify any individual.
All activity on the platform is logged and monitored, and summaries of approved projects are published.
Why this data is used
The OpenSAFELY service supports work such as:
- Improving the quality and safety of NHS care
- Understanding population health and disease patterns
- Planning and evaluating NHS services
- Public health monitoring
- Medical research to improve diagnosis, treatment and prevention
What information is included
The information used is pseudonymised and may include general details such as age, sex and ethnicity, health information such as conditions and medications, and lifestyle information such as smoking status.
Where the data comes from
Data comes from GP practices using approved NHS systems and from other NHS England datasets that have been approved and pseudonymised before use.
Who can access the data
Only approved users working on authorised projects can access the service. They cannot download or view identifiable patient information and can only see anonymous aggregated results. No personal data is shared with other organisations.
Legal basis
GP practices are legally required to provide this information following a Data Provision Notice issued by NHS England under health and social care legislation. NHS England has a legal obligation to operate the OpenSAFELY service in the public interest.
Your choices and opt outs
Type One opt out
If you have registered a Type One opt out with your GP practice, your confidential patient information held at the practice will not be used for this service.
National Data Opt Out
The National Data Opt Out does not apply in all circumstances to this service because NHS England has a legal obligation to run it. However, only anonymous results are shared with approved users.
To Opt Out
To opt-out online, visit the following link www.nhs.uk/your-nhs-data-matters/manage-your-choice/ or by ringing 0300 303 5678.
More information
You can find more information about OpenSAFELY and how patient data is protected by visiting the OpenSAFELY website from the link below:
Link: https://www.opensafely.org/
You can also read about how NHS England uses and protects health and care information on the NHS website.
If you have any questions, please contact the surgery.