Your Nhs Records To Be Collected And Passed On-- Unless You Opt Out Now!

[Annie Bynnol]

11 minutes ago, apelike said:

They won't use my email address as I didnt give it to them. They won't share my information as I didnt give them any. Downloading a PDF in a browser is about as risky as viewing SF especially as people have anti virus and anti malware software installed.

 

 

I am no expert but we have had instructions not to download  PDF and other files at home on our work laptops as they may contain viruses and or malware.

I have had to destroy my 2013 iMac as it cannot download and automatically update the approved and required anti virus/malware. 

 

So it's all about risk. 

Real or imagined. 

[onewheeldave]

On 27/05/2021 at 18:59, Annie Bynnol said:

 

I am no expert but we have had instructions not to download  PDF and other files at home on our work laptops as they may contain viruses and or malware.

I have had to destroy my 2013 iMac as it cannot download and automatically update the approved and required anti virus/malware. 

 

So it's all about risk. 

Real or imagined. 

Anyone worried about a pdf being 'infected' can scan it with their anti-virus software.

[Annie Bynnol]

1 hour ago, onewheeldave said:

Anyone worried about a pdf being 'infected' can scan it with their anti-virus software.

I would refer you to  the second sentence in the post you are replying to:

I have had to destroy my 2013 iMac as it cannot download and automatically update the approved and required anti virus/malware. 

 

The point being  our use of computers and software can lead to risk of our information being leaked.

The OP is highlighting that sharing information with your doctors practices computer database etc. can be leaked.

My difference on the assessment of risk.

 

 

 

[Thirsty Relic]

This story has now been reported in The Guardian:

 

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2021/may/30/gps-warn-plans-share-patient-data-third-parties-england

 

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/may/30/the-guardian-view-on-medical-records-nhs-data-grab-needs-explaining

 

With only 3 weeks before the deadline for telling your GP practice that you want to "opt out", and no notification to the public that I can find, it seems very late in the day, but at least it may inject some urgency into proceedings!

 

I am  indebted to swarfendor437 for reporting this, under the thread "NHS App".

 

 

 

 

[the_bloke]

I couldn't care less that my health care record is anonymised and uploaded to a central database that has third party access.

 

So there will be a line in the DB that says record 1d2209f1-27e4-4b4f-b06c-3453b1608cdb had an eye operation in 1978. A later line says the same number had the Covid vaccine in 2021.

 

Woop.

[Thirsty Relic]

7 minutes ago, the_bloke said:

I couldn't care less that my health care record is anonymised and uploaded to a central database that has third party access.

 

So there will be a line in the DB that says record 1d2209f1-27e4-4b4f-b06c-3453b1608cdb had an eye operation in 1978. A later line says the same number had the Covid vaccine in 2021.

 

Woop.

They are anonymised with a key so that the NHS can de-anonymise them if it needs to.  Are you naive enough to think that, when companies buying the information have decided that there are a certain number they are very interested in, that they won't get them de-anonymised for an additional fee? 

 

Also, consider the use to which they are to be used.  If a company wants to check certain complaints by area, they'd buy "anonymised" records with region in there.  So now, you are looking at someone in Sheffield 2 (or maybe they get more of the postcode?) who had an eye operation in 1978 and the Covid vaccine in 2021, and any other info from the data they collect.  Linking that to records of Sheffield Eye hospitals they buy separately flags you up, and you can expect to be contacted by private eye clinics trying to see their products, and other companies related to other medical interventions you may have had in the past as the details are out of the box and for sale.

 

Talking of eyes, The Royal Free NHS Foundation Trust  copped for flack from the Information Commissioners Office a few years ago when someone leaked the fact that they had given Google their patient data without even asking for consent from them:

  https://www.theregister.com/2017/07/03/google_deepmind_trial_failed_to_comply_with_data_protection_law/

 

Not everybody plays by the rules.  Famous eye hospital Moorfields and others were similarly linked to this scandal at the time.  Perhaps your eye operation details have already been sold?

 

[The_DADDY]

10 hours ago, Thirsty Relic said:

This story has now been reported in The Guardian:

 

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2021/may/30/gps-warn-plans-share-patient-data-third-parties-england

 

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/may/30/the-guardian-view-on-medical-records-nhs-data-grab-needs-explaining

 

With only 3 weeks before the deadline for telling your GP practice that you want to "opt out", and no notification to the public that I can find, it seems very late in the day, but at least it may inject some urgency into proceedings!

 

I am  indebted to swarfendor437 for reporting this, under the thread "NHS App".

 

 

 

 

I opted out a while ago. I did the same for the kids too. It only took a few minute 👍

[the_bloke]

31 minutes ago, Thirsty Relic said:

They are anonymised with a key so that the NHS can de-anonymise them if it needs to.  Are you naive enough to think that, when companies buying the information have decided that there are a certain number they are very interested in, that they won't get them de-anonymised for an additional fee? 

 

Also, consider the use to which they are to be used.  If a company wants to check certain complaints by area, they'd buy "anonymised" records with region in there.  So now, you are looking at someone in Sheffield 2 (or maybe they get more of the postcode?) who had an eye operation in 1978 and the Covid vaccine in 2021, and any other info from the data they collect.  Linking that to records of Sheffield Eye hospitals they buy separately flags you up, and you can expect to be contacted by private eye clinics trying to see their products, and other companies related to other medical interventions you may have had in the past as the details are out of the box and for sale.

 

Talking of eyes, The Royal Free NHS Foundation Trust  copped for flack from the Information Commissioners Office a few years ago when someone leaked the fact that they had given Google their patient data without even asking for consent from them:

  https://www.theregister.com/2017/07/03/google_deepmind_trial_failed_to_comply_with_data_protection_law/

 

Not everybody plays by the rules.  Famous eye hospital Moorfields and others were similarly linked to this scandal at the time.  Perhaps your eye operation details have already been sold?

 

If you want to believe all that nonsense, then go ahead. Alternatively, you can read this:

 

https://www.nhs.uk/your-nhs-data-matters/

 

Where you'll actually learn that nothing is passed to commercial interests, and you can opt out at any time and in fact have been able to since 2018. In fact, you can see how your information is released:

 

https://digital.nhs.uk/services/data-access-request-service-dars/register-of-approved-data-releases

 

If you research it properly, you'll notice that opting out doesn't prevent your data being added to the database at all and in some circumstances it will still be used regardless. 

 

https://www.nhs.uk/your-nhs-data-matters/where-your-choice-does-not-apply/

 

So no, I'm not naive thanks.

 

More chance of your email address and IP address being stolen from this forum than someone finding me and trying to sell me eye products from information taken from the NHS database.

[Thirsty Relic]

2 hours ago, the_bloke said:

More chance of your email address and IP address being stolen from this forum than someone finding me and trying to sell me eye products from information taken from the NHS database.

Agreed - there is a risk of the email address I used to connect to SF being stolen.  I can always change email address though. 

 

You can't change your medical records though and if they are given/sold to others then consider the impact it would have on potential fraud, your insurance costs, employment prospects, privacy and so on.  Your medical records also have your contact details, phone numbers, email address, work address, dependents details,  next of kin etc etc.

 

Medical professionals have always guarded these details - until now it seems.

[HeHasRisen]

1 hour ago, Thirsty Relic said:

Agreed - there is a risk of the email address I used to connect to SF being stolen.  I can always change email address though. 

 

You can't change your medical records though and if they are given/sold to others then consider the impact it would have on potential fraud, your insurance costs, employment prospects, privacy and so on.  Your medical records also have your contact details, phone numbers, email address, work address, dependents details,  next of kin etc etc.

 

Medical professionals have always guarded these details - until now it seems.

Surely that depends which section they are passing on. Having used a number of different systems over the years, including the one most GP surgeries currently use in the city, the notes are seperate to contact details. If this is the only bit being shared there are no contact details on them.