Context
GPES Data for Pandemic Planning and Research will be collected, analysed and shared by NHS Digital for coronavirus (COVID-19) research purposes including:
- carrying out vital research into treatments and vaccines for the virus, including clinical trials
- identifying coronavirus trends and risks to public health
- diagnosing and monitoring the effects of coronavirus
- controlling and helping to prevent the spread of the virus
- planning and providing health, social care and other public services to the public
- helping clinicians, scientists, public health bodies and the government to provide guidance and develop policies to respond to the outbreak
- monitoring and managing the outbreak
NHS Digital is the national safe haven for patient data in England and we collect, analyse, publish and share healthcare data safely, securely and appropriately as part of our statutory functions.
Data will only be made available in response to appropriate requests from data applicants who need it for coronavirus purposes including to improve care, disease monitoring, planning and research. All requests for access to the data will be made through the NHSX Single Point of Contact for COVID-19 requests process, which will triage and prioritise requests with NHS Digital, Health Data Research UK and the National Institute of Health Research. All requests will then be
passed on to NHS Digital.
NHS Digital will involve the BMA and RCGP in all requests before sharing any data, to consider the views of the profession at the “GPES Data for Pandemic Planning and Research - Profession Advisory Group”.
Data which is shared by NHS Digital is subject to robust rules relating to privacy, security, and confidentiality. Safeguards built into NHS Digital’s processes include:
- all requests will be managed through our Data Access Request Service
- applications for record level data will also be subject to independent scrutiny via the Independent Group Advising on the Release of Data (IGARD)
- only the minimum amount of data needed to meet the specific coronavirus purpose will be made available
- organisations using this data will need to have a clear legal basis to do so for coronavirus purposes
- national data opt-outs will be considered on a case by case basis but may not apply during the emergency period due to the public interest and legal requirements in sharing certain data
The data collection will continue until 30 September 2020 and will be reviewed before then. If there is a continued need for the data for coronavirus purposes it will continue with 6 monthly reviews until the expiry of the Direction, which is currently 31 March 2022.
NHS Digital will publish information about the data shared in its Data Release Register.
Attendees and their role
Arjun Dhillon (Caldicott Guardian, NHS Digital) – Chair
Liz Gaffney (Head of Data Access, NHS Digital)
Anu Rao / Mark Coley (GPC IT Policy Lead, BMA)
Amir Mehrkar (GP, RCGP Health Informatics Group member)
Pam Soorma (Secretariat, NHS Digital)
Delegates
Peter Short / Jonathan Osborn on behalf of Arjun Dhillon (Chair, NHS Digital)
Last edited: 22 March 2023 11:12 am