Type 1 Opt-out

Information for all Jurassic Coast PCN Patients

We will never approve requests to access data where the purpose is for marketing purposes, including promoting or selling products or services, market research, insurance or advertising or any other solely commercial purpose.

Benefits of Sharing Data

When patients agree to share their data, particularly at a local level, it has the following benefits:

• Helps local health and care partners to better understand the needs of the population of Dorset and gain greater insight into the specific conditions and issues that are affecting individuals and groups within the population.
• This in turn helps us to inform and design service improvements, meet the needs of our population and ultimately improve people’s health and wellbeing.
• It enables us to highlight and address inequalities and variation in access to services.
• It allows us to understand the demography of our population, ensure services are fit for purpose, and that people are accessing the correct services to meet their specific health and care needs.
• It supports effective collaboration across health and care partners in the interests of population health and wellbeing.

What is patient data used for?

Put simply, data is at the heart of our NHS. You can’t see it, but it is essential to the way that we plan and run services and to the way that doctors, nurses and other health professionals give individual care. 

It is easy to see how your doctor needs to know about your medicines to be able to safely look after you, but some other examples which you might not have thought of, are below.

Planning and running NHS services 

NHS organisations need data to help them plan and run NHS services safely and effectively. This could include deciding where to provide new clinics and GP services or protecting public health, such as managing and monitoring the coronavirus pandemic.

When pooled together, data held in general practice patient records provides a detailed picture of the nation’s health. It offers the most reliable evidence on which to base decisions on healthcare planning and delivery.

It means services, staff and funding can be allocated to where they are most needed, enabling healthcare staff to provide the highest quality care to their patients.

Data for research 

Patient data collected from general practice is needed to support a wide variety of research and clinical trials, helping to develop cures and treatments for serious illnesses, such as heart disease, diabetes, and cancer and examining the effectiveness of new medicines.

For example, GP data collected as part of the COVID-19 response is being used by the University of Oxford RECOVERY trial, which is looking to find ways to improve the treatment for people with COVID-19.

This research is only as good as the data it is based upon. Being able to safely and securely access this data in one place will help improve the quality of researchers’ results and new and improved treatments will reach patients more quickly.

Contributing to research projects will benefit us all as better and safer treatments are introduced more quickly and effectively without compromising patients’ privacy and confidentiality.