Starting later this year, the National Health Service (NHS) plans to start selling patient information to drug and insurance companies. This information will include mental health conditions, diseases, and smoking and drinking habits. This will begin once a single database of medical data is created from hospital and general practice records.
Once the information goes live, patients will have no way to control who sees their records, or how their data will be used. Insurers and drug companies will be able to apply to the new Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC) to access the database.
Healthcare should be between the patient and his or her provider, not whatever companies choose to pay for access to intimate medical information. This new system is a huge breach of privacy and trust, and will discourage patients from seeking medical care and sharing honest information with their providers. Please sign the petition to stop the NHS from selling patient data to insurance and drug companies!
To: National Health Service
We, the undersigned, are concerned with your plans to start selling patient information to drug and insurance companies later this year. We understand that this information will include mental health conditions, diseases, and smoking and drinking habits, and that it will be accessible once a single database of medical data is created from hospital and general practice records.
Once the information goes live, patients will have no way to control who sees their records, or how their data will be used. Insurers and drug companies will be able to apply to the new Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC) to access the database.
We believe that healthcare should be between the patient and his or her provider, not whatever companies choose to pay for access to intimate medical information. This new system is a huge breach of privacy and trust, and will discourage patients from seeking medical care and sharing honest information with their providers. We respectfully urge you to end your plan to sell patient data to insurance and drug companies. Thank you for taking the time to read and consider our petition.
