I suppose that this makes a change from the unending stories about critical data being lost but it is just as bad.
Dumping old legal files on a tip reinforces my view that the public services are horribly lax about data security - whether in paper or electronic format.
Showing posts with label Data Confidentiality. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Data Confidentiality. Show all posts
Wednesday, 27 August 2008
Thursday, 24 July 2008
Patient confidentiality and data protection
This is a very worrying development. According to the Wirral Globe, the local PCT is about to ship details of personal records off-shore to a US based company.
The issues arising are huge:
Firstly: people are opted-in by default. Now I suspect that the Information Commisioner would have something to say about that. Recently, the IC stated over the Phorm affair that the default position MUST be opt-out in order to comply with the law. (See http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/04/09/ico_phorm_tougher/)
I would strongly suspect if a good burgher of the Wirral contacted the IC they might well get a similar result!
Secondly, the guff that the PCT has spouted: "the initial health data it wants to share with Health Dialog would be “unidentifiable” and “cannot be linked directly back to you”. "
Eh? What's the bloody point then of off-shoring it!? I cannot make head or tail of that statement to be honest.
The idea is to use an US company to act as a health advice line and to do that they are shipping the patient's record oversea. But "initially" (that worries me a lot) the data would be unidentifiable. So what "initially" would be the point of having it if it can't be used to help individuals who call in?
http://www.wirralglobe.co.uk/news/3226424.U_S_FIRM_TO_HAVE_ALL_YOUR_HEALTH_DETAILS/
The issues arising are huge:
Firstly: people are opted-in by default. Now I suspect that the Information Commisioner would have something to say about that. Recently, the IC stated over the Phorm affair that the default position MUST be opt-out in order to comply with the law. (See http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/04/09/ico_phorm_tougher/)
I would strongly suspect if a good burgher of the Wirral contacted the IC they might well get a similar result!
Secondly, the guff that the PCT has spouted: "the initial health data it wants to share with Health Dialog would be “unidentifiable” and “cannot be linked directly back to you”. "
Eh? What's the bloody point then of off-shoring it!? I cannot make head or tail of that statement to be honest.
The idea is to use an US company to act as a health advice line and to do that they are shipping the patient's record oversea. But "initially" (that worries me a lot) the data would be unidentifiable. So what "initially" would be the point of having it if it can't be used to help individuals who call in?
http://www.wirralglobe.co.uk/news/3226424.U_S_FIRM_TO_HAVE_ALL_YOUR_HEALTH_DETAILS/
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