The Opt Out Model and NHS Data Gathering - Unveiling Potential Concerns

Right now, the NHS data gathering efforts are driven by an opt-out model, which means that it retains all the data collected from patients in various types of care, ranging from routine GP visits to mental healthcare. This approach has allowed the NHS to create the world’s largest dataset of digital healthcare records, tracking patients for decades. This dataset holds immense potential for improving healthcare and promptly identifying new challenges. However, under the opt-out model, patients must explicitly request not to have their data used. The NHS explains the opt-out option as follows:

“…If they (patients) do object to their confidential patient information being used to improve health, care, and services through research and planning, they can say so.”

One might wonder, what kind of person would object to the advancement of health and services for everyone? However, beneath the surface of benevolence, there are concerns to consider. Over the past few years, this data has been increasingly shared with private companies, including major players like Google and Palantir, leading to mounting scandals.

In the context of the pandemic, data sharing has accelerated without proper due diligence. In the future, I will delve deeper, providing references and examples to explore how patient data is handled, highlighting inherent flaws in the algorithms being used, and shedding light on the potential for misuse based on my own hands-on experience. It is my belief that patients who seek to advance healthcare would not be comfortable with their data being exploited for profit by companies worldwide, especially those with questionable practices that often contradict the very principles laid out in the NHS goals: improving health, care, and services.