Thanks for this reassuring info-so the PCT thus receives pseudonymised data
- that is the information and the patient CAN be linked, but only by the
responsible clinican- in this case the GP.
Bill Lowrance called this "key-coded data" it in his report "Learning from
Experience- Privacy and the Secondary Use of Data in Health Research"
produced for the Nuffield Trust in Nov 2002.
The key MUST be held separately by the organisation submitting data, and
re-identification of the patient only be possible by the clinician(s)
responsible for the patient'scare.
While it specifically addresed the issue of health research, it is
applicable to the myriad of other secondary uses of personal heath info-
including reports to the NPSA - worth a read.
Fleur
----- Original Message -----
From: "Mark Couldrick" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Monday, May 24, 2004 10:49 AM
Subject: Re: Another Lunatic scheme
> Fleur wrote
> > Does this mean that Identifiable patient data re referrrals is being
> > requested by the PCT??
>
> No the data is anonomised but the practice puts their own identifier on
each
> referal.
>
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