New commitment to patient privacy when sharing health information

Health secretary Jeremy Hunt has announced new measures that will reinforce patient confidentiality in an era of technological advancement.

Responding to the Caldicott Review on information governance in health and social care, Mr Hunt revealed that any patient who does not want personal data held in their GP record to be shared with the Health and Social Care Information Centre will have their objection respected.

Moreover, in cases where this personal data has already been shared, patients will still be able to make sure that any identifiable information is removed.

The British Medical Association (BMA), NHS England and the Royal College of GPs will now be tasked with raising public awareness of these new measures.

Mr Hunt said: "I firmly believe that technology can transform the quality of healthcare in this country, but we must always respect the fact that this is very personal information about an individual."

The BMA welcomed this outcome, as the organisation has been lobbying for a greater focus on patient confidentiality for some time.