Professional Advisory Group (PAG) Terms of Reference (ToR)

PAG provides NHS England with specific advice from the GP profession on 2 areas:

Part A: OpenSAFELY Direction and GPES data for pandemic planning and research (GDPPR) COVID-19 Public Health Directions 2020

To provide advice to NHS England on all applications made to process GP data as part of the OpenSAFELY Data Analytics Pilots Directions 2025 and GDPPR COVID Direction 2020. Additionally, provide advice on all official NHS England OpenSAFELY communication content prior to publication.

Part B: Wider informal professional advice

To provide a forum for NHS England to seek profession-led advice and feedback on wider GP data matters, such as emerging requests for data access or service improvements. The advice supports NHS England in any preliminary undertakings as part of a wider strategy of understanding the perspective of the profession. PAG supplements but does not replace any duties to consult with the Joint GP IT Committee (JGPITC) of the British Medical Association (BMA) and Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP). Likewise, PAG informs, but does not determine policy.

NHS England is responsible for the safe and appropriate use of GP data that includes research, service improvement and planning. The PAG enables NHS England to:

• satisfy the input from the profession required under the OpenSAFELY Data Analytics Service Pilot Directions 2025 and COVID-19 Public Health Directions 2020
• maintain open dialogue with the profession about the responsible use of GP data
• informally discuss practical issues and emerging requests regarding GP data

Other individuals may attend as agreed by the Chair specifically in support of the topics being presented by NHS England. GP representatives may invite BMA or RCGP colleagues to support discussions around a topic if required.

However, observers may only attend by invitation and with advance approval of the Chair and GP representatives.

A meeting is typically quorate when a GP representative from both the BMA and RCGP is present; however, the meeting can proceed with only one GP representative from either organisation if there is agreement between the BMA and the RCGP that they will finalise the written feedback out of session together.

Scheduled weekly on Tuesdays (1.5 days equivalent resourcing, 40 weeks per year): 1 full day meeting (9am until 5pm with an hour break), and 4 hours pre reading. 

The schedule will be agreed with the representatives, taking into account reasonable notice for annual leave. 

Meetings will have the following structure:

• Part A – Uses of GP data aligned with COVID-19 Public Health Directions 2020 and/or OpenSAFELY Data Analytics Service Pilot Direction 2025
• Part B – Wider professional insight
• Write up - time for profession to prepare documented advice to email NHS England

Papers circulated to allow reading time before the meeting and for the advice to be available to the necessary AGD meeting. It is expected papers are circulated a minimum of 5 working days prior to the Tuesday meeting.

Meetings will normally be via web conferencing for example Microsoft Teams.

Each application or discussion item will be allocated an appropriate time slot depending on complexity.

In the first 3 months of initiating PAG, allowance will be provided to more virtual (email) advice for Part A so that the OpenSAFELY service can quickly re-open whilst recruitment for dedicated representation is pursued by the BMA and RCGP.

The profession representatives will provide written advice on the applications and discussion points; only the written content will be a record of the views expressed.

For any clinical related matters; RCGP and the BMA representatives will provide advice to NHS England (the decision-making organisation).

Advice will be shared by email to NHS England, typically by the end of the meeting, or as soon as possible, and retained on record. In certain circumstances, the profession representatives will help identify issues which need to be brought to the (JGPITC).

NHS England must make records of advice (Part A and Part B) public within 1 month; also, where advice forms part of any application for data, this must also be shared with AGD, if AGD advice is required or PAG requests AGD advice.

Any advice provided by PAG in Part B will not bypass the existing formal channels that exist between NHS England and the JGPITC.

These terms of reference cannot be amended without mutual agreement across all parties i.e. NHS England, RCGP and the BMA.

PAG is an advisory group.

PAG advice feeds into NHS England's established data access, information governance (IG), and approval processes.

PAG may escalate concerns through their executive branches of the BMA and RCGP.