Opting out of NHS Database

The Government proposes to collect all the nation’s medical records into central NHS databases. The British Medical Association (BMA) has serious reservations and the medical profession has long believed that, in general, data should only be shared with patient consent.

In addition, GPs are being asked to create a 'summary care record' from your medical notes and upload this to the NHS 'Spine'. The summary will contain your current prescriptions and any allergies. The proposal is that patients’ summaries will be uploaded unless they express their right to ‘opt out’.

opting out of nhs database

The Department of Health (DoH) has argued that by having your details uploaded to the NHS ‘spine’, they will be available in an emergency. You may indeed wish to consider this if you have a chronic medical condition such as diabetes or penicillin allergy. However Accident & Emergency Departments do work to established clinical protocols for patients for whom they have no medical history, and a dependable centralised database seems unlikely to exist for some time. If you do have such a condition, you should continue to carry a card or a bracelet with you anyway, even if you do consent to the creation of a summary

For more information, please call the help and advice line on 01494 882 458, Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm.

If you wish to opt out of the NHS Central Database you can complete this form

Exercising my right to opt-out

If you wish to opt out of the Summary Care Record 

CLICK HERE