We’ve been asked by readers about a forthcoming change in the way the NHS in England shares patient data.

11 Jun 2021 | Full Fact's weekly news
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FACT CHECK
What is happening with your NHS data?

From September 2021, NHS Digital will start collecting patient data from GP medical records in England about any living patient, including children, and any data about patients who died after the collection started.

We’ve been asked by readers about the way the NHS in England shares patient data, the various opt-outs available to the public and whether the data is really being sold.

There are two ways of “opting out”, if you don’t want your data to be shared. Type 1 opt-out prevents your data being shared outside your GP practice for anything other than individual care for patients.

The second type of opt-out, called a National Data Opt-Out, has no deadline. It essentially stops your data being shared with other organisations, except in the cases where it’s a legal requirement or there’s a public interest argument, for example in managing coronavirus.

The NHS Digital website says: “We are not going to sell your data”. But there is a price list on the organisation’s website listing charges for its Data Access Request Service.

On this page, NHS Digital says “We do not charge for data but we do apply charges to cover the cost of processing and delivering our service.”

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Whether over email or in a survey response, many of you this year have let us know that you’re worried about the spread of false information.

It comes as no surprise. We see false claims about the pandemic every week, while large-scale changes to our health system are surrounded by confusion.

Together, we can combat it. As independent fact checkers, your support is our best guarantee that false claims can be scrutinised and challenged through this pandemic.

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FACT CHECK
Boris Johnson was broadly right about aid spending ([link removed])

On Wednesday, the Prime Minister said that this government has spent more on overseas aid than Labour governments did in the past.

He also said that the government was continuing to spend more—even with its planned reduction of the aid budget from 0.7% to 0.5% of national income.

This is essentially true, with some minor caveats.

Since the late 2000s, the UK has spent much more on foreign aid than it used to—both in terms of cash, and as a share of the national income.

In November 2020, however, the government announced that it would reduce the aid spending target to 0.5% for a period, while its finances recover from the pandemic. “Our intention is to return to 0.7% when the fiscal situation allows,” the Chancellor, Rishi Sunak, said.

The new target will substantially reduce the amount of aid spending. Although even at 0.5% of national income, it will be higher than it generally used to be before 2006.

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THE FULL FACT PODCAST
Series 3 Episode 5: NHS data and health claims ([link removed])

On the Full Fact Podcast we discuss Matt Hancock's contradictory statements about a "protective ring" being cast around care homes, whether your NHS data is being sold (and how to opt out), and we dissect claims about foreign aid from PMQs.
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FACT CHECK
Piers Corbyn makes inaccurate claims about vaccine deaths ([link removed])

A Facebook post by Piers Corbyn recently claimed that a Channel 4 documentary “The Anti-Vax Conspiracy” failed to highlight deaths from and adverse reactions to Covid-19 vaccines in the UK. But some of the points he makes are not accurate.

Mr Corbyn claimed that Covid-19 vaccines have caused 859,481 adverse reactions. Slightly fewer—857,323 suspected reactions—were reported to the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) by people who had received the vaccine when the post was made. However, it does not mean the vaccines are necessarily the cause of these reactions.

The post also claimed that Covid-19 vaccines have caused 1,213 deaths. Although Mr Corbyn gave the correct number of deaths reported within seven days of vaccination, the MHRA’s report states: “The majority of these reports were in elderly people or people with underlying illness.” The MHRA also states that individual reviews have (so far) found no link between these deaths and the vaccine.

Mr Corbyn also claimed people are more likely to die from Covid-19 vaccines than from Covid-19. This is untrue, as at least 123,647 people have already died of Covid in England and Wales so far. Even if everyone in England and Wales had been infected with Covid, this would still mean that people are much more likely to die from Covid-19 than from being vaccinated.
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MORE FACT CHECKS
Also this week...
* There’s no evidence Covid-19 vaccines make the disease worse ([link removed])
* Matt Hancock used the phrase ‘protective ring’ about care homes long before he claims ([link removed])
* A magnet won’t stick to a glass vaccine vial ([link removed])

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