About a year ago I got an E111 (it's the form that might or might not
get you NHS-like benefits if you travel within the EU).
It's apparently being replaced with something called a European Health
Insurance Card (EHIC), but the NHS have written to me saying they can't
issue one automatically because my "details are incorrect". On the back
they print the "incorrect" details and invite me to fill in some OCR
boxes by way of correction.
The problem is that my date of birth is "invalid" [1]. (Of course, the
NHS has been told, and knows, my date of birth many times over, and the
data on the form includes my NHS number, which means in theory they
could look it up... but I digress.)
The form has a long DPA disclaimer on the bottom which says what *they*
will do with the data (name, address, DoB, NHS number, and fact that an
E111 has been applied for and issued) which they clearly consider to be
personal data.
But they've sent me not just *my* data, but that for the rest of the
family too [2]. I know that when we applied we put in separate forms[3],
and they say nothing about sharing this data with other family members.
What exemption is there, such that they can make this unsolicited
disclosure of everyone's personal data to me in this way? And does that
apply only to the NHS, or can anyone do it.[4]
[1] The "invalid" date they have on record for me is "62"nd of the
month. My real date is the 2nd (or perhaps "02"nd was on the earlier
E111 application form they've bungled the OCRing of).
[2] Their data isn't wrong, but perhaps I'm holding up everyone's EHIC.
[3] The E111 is no more and no less than the application form rubber
stamped by the local Post Office counter staff.
[4] Mindful of the fact that the majority of deeply frustrating
discussions with the commercial sector regarding household finances are
the ones that end in the brick wall that "because of data protection"
they won't discuss anything with the wife/husband of the account holder.
--
Roland Perry
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