[Closed] Now who's paranoid? (Cameron plays fast and loose with your health data)

Tories in Handing Publicly Owned Things to Their Mates in the Private Sector Shocka!

But your health data isn't 'just' another commodity...

Good. Sharing [b]anonymous[/b] data with the scientific community is invaluable. Insane that it hasn't always been the case.

I'm ok with it so long as it's being used for medical research and not health insurance/NHS assesments.
They may blank the subjects name from the reports (though I doubt this will happen, even if Call-Me-Dave insists they'll do that)

So I'll remain scptical but supportive.

How 'anonymous' will it be? And once the principle is established which other companies or organisations will want to see it?

I don't see a problem with it. It'll be anonymous, so chappie at Pfizer or wherever won't know it was you that got some creamn for an outbreak of the clap in 1998, but surely access to what is basically a massive database of heath issues is a good thing to allow the study of the causes of and possible cures diseases?

I trust this won't be abused.
Nick Pickles is a great name.

Or lost on a train... or hacked...

How 'anonymous' will it be?

All this is covered by the Data Protection Act.

If it wasn't my underlying assumption that the NHS couldn't organise a piss up in a brewery I would have assumed this would have been standard practice for years. Which is my only concern - how good is the data?

It is quite easy to hand over stastical information with absolutely no patient connection as well as anonymous medical histories. I have no problem with either.

Gotta be better than leaving it all on a laptop/CD/memory stick on a train after all...

The government have such a fine record of securing data, I feel confident that there won't be any unforeseen mishaps at all. What could possibly go wrong?

You'd have to be a very cynical individual to be saying that, for example, all the raw data, complete with names, addresses and dodgy ailments will end up available to all and sundry (but mainly medical insurance companies) due to some 'oversight'

I'm absolutely confident I won't be reading that story within 6 months, in an outraged Daily Mail editorial

Is this perchance a desperate bid to claw back some of the 150 squillion quid spent on the NHS database that doesn't, and never will work

The data is definately going to go further within the companies than the Sales dept. There's no doubt that it'll be used in the way that best benefits the entire human race.

Anonymous ... safe/secure handover ... hmm ... probably going to be hand delivered by a gaggle of these ...

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Those of you so opposed to medical companies should take a stand and refuse to use any of their products.

I'm in favour, Tesco knows what, where and when you buy stuff, whichmeans they know exactly how many cabages and sprouts to buy in on cristmas eve. I'm sure Pfizer or GSK could do some good with the data, because anything has to be better than sporuts!

Tesco only know what you buy if you CHOOSE to tell them by having a Clubcard, and no I don't have any of those either. Remember that the uses that a database can be put to are only limited by the moral scruples (or lack of them) of the database administrator.

There's no doubt that it'll be used in the way that best benefits the entire human race

Ye sthey dont want to make money with it these private companies they want to help th eentire race even those who could never afford to purchase their products as they will just give it to poor ill people as they do all the time these days- it was irony wasnt it?

Those of you so opposed to medical companies should take a stand and refuse to use any of their products.

ohnohesback: what makes you think not having a Summary Care Record will have any effect on whether your patient notes are [s]sold[/s] "shared" on?

It's harder to email paper records...

mmm that could make for interesting research. Medical records for a household compared against their weekly shop. I don't suppose it would be revolutionary in that poor diet is likely to increase health problems but it might throw up some surprises.

As for the data/research? It seems like a waste of a good database as long as sufficient security on witholding names is in place. Even post codes should be scrubbed off the record.

I did an NHS-wide survey of use of care records in the non-digitised system and some of you would be horrified by the piles of paper notes, all mixed up in piles over 2m high, impossible to access and essentially lost. This was not uncommon.

If you were called into A&E and youre allergic to a particular type of medication, wouldnt you prefer it if they knew about that by being able to access your health records?

Anyway, back on-topic, I see no problem with anonymised data used for research purposes. Rather that than animal testing any day.

If I felt the need to alert someone to an allergy I'd were a alergy alert bracelet.

There's a huge amount of money in data (look at google and facebook!).

What they are going to hand over going to be very easy to make anonomous but also very powerful. This will achieve two things. One is better research so new treatments, the other is either a cost saving or profit to the government (last I heard we were a little short of money).

Lots of companies in the private sector already sell anonomous data. I know consultancies buy it to help build up background on a particular sector.

I think its a great idea. More of this kind of thinking will help raise money and maybe start to help us get out of this mess. If you can make money from nothing then great. 4G network licences will be coming soon?

I don't see the problem, most people these days voluntarily share more than that on Facebook.

"just got sifalis lols"

it was irony wasnt it?

The companies involved should give a rebate to those who generate the most data.

I don't see the problem, most people these days voluntarily share more than that on Facebook.

The last bunch of inadequates were about to sell our ID Card details off to the highest bidders too.

New government, old issue. Only the threat of losing their seats will stop politicians from flogging off everything they can find.

Tesco only know what you buy if you CHOOSE to tell them by having a Clubcard, and no I don't have any of those either. Remember that the uses that a database can be put to are only limited by the moral scruples (or lack of them) of the database administrator.

or if they track you based on, say, your credit card number.

I don't really see the problem with the whole world knowing what kind of toilet paper I buy so none of this bothers me. The less untargetted advertising thats floating around, the better

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It's harder to email paper records...

You'll still have some electronic records even if you don't have a Summary Care Record. Most hospital trusts have electronic systems for ordering blood tests, scans etc.

I did an NHS-wide survey of use of care records in the non-digitised system and some of you would be horrified by the piles of paper notes, all mixed up in piles over 2m high, impossible to access and essentially lost. This was not uncommon.

I do laugh at people talking about the security of electronic copies when the paper notes are just left lying around.

Plus with the current system I'm sure it would be quite possible to blag copies of paper notes with enough confidence and a suitably credible sounding phone call.

I do laugh at people talking about the security of electronic copies when the paper notes are just left lying around.

The less untargetted advertising thats floating around, the better

I was idly wondering about this the other day. Plenty of web sites now let you opt in / out of advertising tracking. The instinct is to opt out, but (assuming you aren't removing adverts) the choice really is "would you like random adverts or something you might be interested in?"

I pay in cash so that I don't leave a slug trail of data.

I don't really see the problem with the whole world knowing what kind of toilet paper I buy so none of this bothers me.

If I felt the need to alert someone to an allergy I'd were a alergy alert bracelet.

So you have an issue with Dr's and nurses knowing your alergic to pennacilin, but would happily wear that info on your wrist?

On a related note, Topman are selling blank charity wristbands, WTF?

I pay in cash so that I don't leave a slug trail of data.

One in twenty banknotes is contaminated with coke apparently (BBC news last week), so the only data we can assume from that is you have a problem if you need that many bank notes :p

Well I don't have an allergy so the issue doesn't arise. My issue is the confidentiality of MY data and MY RIGHT to ensure that it doesn't get spread everywhere.

Well I don't have an allergy so the issue doesn't arise. My issue is the confidentiality of MY data and MY RIGHT to ensure that it doesn't get spread everywhere.

I pay in cash so that I don't leave a slug trail of data.

Well in answer to the question in the title, "you are!"

Some people understand, but many others don't. The analogy I'd use is that of boiling the frog, if the heat is increased slightly over time the frog won't realise that it is being cooked until it is too late. As I pointed out earlier, once YOUR data is in electronic form THEY could use it for whatever purpose they choose to.

No doubt you'd have no problem with them knowing what sort of food you buy, or how much alcohol you buy either, it all seems so innocent, until the day that some obsessed self-righteous state decided that your lifestyle is 'unhealthy' and decides that you need to be 're-educated'...

I wouldn't really mind that either. If I was leading a balanced life, and I go to the doctors with high blood pressure, it'd be good (in my opinion) if they could have an accurate picture of my diet/lifestyle rather than having to question me. Having been in that situation, even the question 'how many units of alcohol do you drink' is quite tricky to answer. I can work it out for last week, but is that an average week? who knows? do I eat a lot of red meat? a lot of salt? it doesn't seem like I do, but if someone wants to keep track, and can re-educate me on how to be more healthy, I'm game

I really do worry about many people...

I pay in cash so that I don't leave a slug trail of data.

They track the serial numbers for the notes.

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😀

But as the notes pass through many hands that would ensure your anonymity...

The analogy I'd use is that of boiling the frog, if the heat is increased slightly over time the frog won't realise that it is being cooked until it is too late.

Sadistic frog murderer!

On a similar note, what about your health records? You might not notice a gradualy increacing trend of coughs over time, but a great big number crunching computer might spot the pattern and book you in for a checkup to see if anything more serious is up.

I'd not go as far as the tabloid mantra of "privacy is for pedos", but if in the long run this makes the NHS some money and results in better drugs/healthcare I'm in favour.

Some people understand, but many others don't. The analogy I'd use is that of boiling the frog, if the heat is increased slightly over time the frog won't realise that it is being cooked until it is too late. As I pointed out earlier, once YOUR data is in electronic form THEY could use it for whatever purpose they choose to.

Except the analogy isn't true, but I like the general gist of it.

But ultimately, providing my data is abstracted from my name, I don't give a damn what they do with it. The moment they choose to link the two I'll complain.