Sharing data in line with patients' reasonable expectations

The National Data Guardian has been looking at the circumstances under which health and care data may be shared, and the role that patients’ reasonable expectations play in shaping these circumstances. Part of this work has been examining how implied consent is used within health and care settings to share patient data and support individual care. 

These reports cover two events examining this, and the importance of understanding patient expectations.

Healthcare Informatics

New guidance from the Royal College of Ophthalmologists.

Healthcare involves the collection and generation of huge amounts of information which is subsequently managed, utilised and shared. Healthcare informatics is the science of ensuring that this processing of information is efficient and safe for the benefit of patients. With the current rapid improvements in information technology, it is the duty of healthcare providers to harness this technology to maximise efficiency, safety and quality of patient care, as well as to help drive healthcare innovation.

This document intends to provide a glossary and basic introduction to the multiple facets of healthcare informatics and provides references for further reading.

Practical guidance on sharing of information and information governance for all NHS organisations specifically for Prevent and the Channel process

This guidance from NHS England is intended to assist those involved in information sharing and information governance for the purpose of Prevent, a counter-terrorism safeguarding programme. It is designed to assist in the decision making process about the appropriateness of sharing information (particularly sensitive health information) such as the decisions made by Caldicott Guardians.

Health Secretary challenges NHS to deliver digital services nationwide

By the end of 2018 – the 70th birthday year of the NHS – the Health Secretary said he expects every patient in England to be able to do the following online through an app:

• access NHS 111
• access their healthcare record
• book a GP appointment
• order repeat prescriptions
• express their organ donation preferences
• express their data sharing preferences
• access support for managing a long term condition

Emergency Care Data Set supplementary guidance

The purpose of this document from NHS Digital  is to outline the manner by which the CDS Type 011 – EmergencyCare Data Set (ECDS) should be used and interpreted by users, system suppliers and other stakeholders by providing information on each individual data group and its constituent data items.

Government response to Five Year Forward View for Mental Health

The Government has published its response to the recommendations outlined in the Five Year Forward View for Mental Health and has announced that it will accept all of them in full.

The report focuses on the recommendations made to Government, which includes some for which responsibility is shared with NHS England and Arm’s Length Bodies. The recommendations and responses in brief are as follows:

Electronic Palliative Care Co-ordination Systems (EPaCCS) National Data Project

Electronic Palliative Care Co-ordination Systems (EPaCCS) enable the recording and sharing of people’s care preferences and key details about end of life care.

Last year NEoLCIN undertook a study to better understand the impact of EPaCCS nationally, look at geographical variations in EPaCCS data, understand the potential challenges/barriers and opportunities associated with collating EPaCCS data. The study also explored the effectiveness of EPaCCS in achieving people’s preferences for care and supporting the co-ordination of care and advance care planning.

Who Shares Wins: Efficient, Collaborative Radiology Solutions

The Royal College of Radiologists (RCR) has published Who shares wins: efficient, collaborative radiology solutions, where diagnostic images and their reports are shared between interconnected networks of trusts.

A digital NHS? An introduction to the digital agenda and plans for implementation

In recent years, the digital agenda in health care has been the subject of an array of promises and plans. But have expectations been set too high? And is there sufficient clarity about the funding available to achieve this vision?

This report looks at the key commitments made and what we know about progress to date, grouped under three broad themes:

• interoperable electronic health records
• patient-focused digital technology
• secondary use of data, transparency and consent.

It identifies barriers to further progress and opportunities for delivering on the digital agenda.

What do people think about proposed patient data standards?

The Government has been consulting on new standards to strengthen the security of patient information and to help people make informed choices about how their data is used.

To help with our response to this consultation, we collected people’s views on some of the broad principles behind the proposals. Find out what people said and download our consultation response.

Monitor - FOI release: FOI National Data Validation Programme

NHS Improvement explained that it holds this information and has decided to release the information, subject to redaction of certain material under sections 40 and 42 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

Note and supporting documentation sent to NHS Improvement’s board on the National Elective Data Validation Programme.

NHS sets out plan to road test maternity services of the future

NHS England has laid out new plans to improve maternity services and is calling on local areas to road test new ways of working.

The Maternity Transformation Programme has now identified nine working areas to take forward implementation of the recommendations set out in the report of the national maternity review, Better Births. These include:

• Supporting Local Transformation
• Promoting good practice for safer care
• Increasing Choice and Personalisation
• Improving access to perinatal mental health service
• Transforming the workforce
• Sharing data and information
• Harnessing technology
• Reforming the payment system
• Improving prevention 

Patients suffering due to delays in accessing medical images by doctors

A survey by the Royal College of Radiologists (RCR) shows that systems for sharing X-ray and scan images and reports between hospitals are inadequate, leading to harm for patients.

The RCR report, It’s good to share: medical image and report exchange between UK health care providers reveals that problems with sharing vital X-rays and scans between doctors and hospitals are commonplace across the NHS.