Keeping data safe and benefitting the public

NHS England collects, processes, and works with your health data. We protect patient data, keep it secure, and only use it for authorised purposes.

How we look after your health and care information

Understanding the information we hold about you, what it's used for, and your choices.

Understanding the health and care information we collect

Information about you and your health is recorded when you receive health care or social care, to help with your care and treatment. This is what most people call your medical records.

What we collect, and why

Your choices on information we hold about you

Where we collect and use information that could identify you, you can make certain choices, including whether to opt out of sharing your confidential patient information.

Your rights and choices

Your data

NHS England collects, processes, and works with your health data. We protect patient data, keep it secure, and only use it for authorised purposes.

How we protect your data

Data points blog

Our experts explain how we are using data to drive research and improve NHS and care services.

Hear from our experts

Protecting your data

We are the guardians of patient data, making sure it's protected, and only ever used for the good of health and care. We advise health and care on cyber and data security.

Cyber and data security

We protect our NHS from cyber attacks and we monitor for new threats 24 hours a day. Our teams support organisations across the NHS with advice, assessments, and training.

See our alerts and services

General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) - information

How we've ensured compliance with data protection law, to make sure health and care data is always collected, stored, analysed and shared securely and legally.

GDPR compliance

NHS England's legal right to collect information

Explaining why we are legally allowed to collect health and care information.

Our legal right to collect data

Transparency notice: how we use your personal data

How we use personal data, in line with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), including a register of processing activities, and your rights.

See our GDPR register

Data security and information governance

A-Z of data security and information governance resources

NHS England offers guidance on protecting data and handling information securely. Our guidance is designed to help health and care organisations meet the standards required to handle care information.

Browse our A-Z

How we engage with the public

Public attitudes to data in the NHS and social care

This research examines public attitudes to data in health and social care. The focus of the research was on segmenting the public based on attitudes and behaviours. This will help us to better understand how we can address different attitudes and needs in our national public engagement on data.

Public attitudes to data

National public engagement in the use of health and care data

How we carry out meaningful public engagement.

National public engagement

Health and Social Care Data Public Panel

The panel is a group consisting of patient and professional representatives, with an interest in patient data.

See panel details

Engagement with GP and Practice Managers

Engagement with GPs on how patient data is used for individual care, the planning and commissioning of NHS services and health-related research.

GP engagement

Governing requests for data

Advisory Group for Data (AGD)

The Advisory Group for Data (AGD) provides NHS England with independent expert advice and assurance on internal and external access to confidential health and care data.

Advisory Group for Data (AGD)

Independent advice on data policy and strategy

Data Strategy Advisory Panel

The Data Strategy Advisory Panel is an independent stakeholder advisory group. It provides advice, challenge and co-design on data policy for the Department of Health and Social Care and NHS England Transformation Directorate.

Data Strategy Advisory Panel

Last edited: 30 September 2026 9:44 am

Keeping data safe and benefitting the public

How we look after your health and care information

Understanding the health and care information we collect

Your choices on information we hold about you

Your data

Data points blog

Protecting your data

Cyber and data security

General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) - information

NHS England's legal right to collect information

Transparency notice: how we use your personal data

Data security and information governance

A-Z of data security and information governance resources

How we engage with the public

Public attitudes to data in the NHS and social care​

National public engagement in the use of health and care data

Health and Social Care Data Public Panel

Engagement with GP and Practice Managers

Governing requests for data

Advisory Group for Data (AGD)

Independent advice on data policy and strategy

Data Strategy Advisory Panel

Public attitudes to data in the NHS and social care