Councils to be allowed access to ‘named patient data’

THE GOVERNMENT is reportedly set to allow local councils to access the names and data of people in their areas who have returned positive Covid-19 tests.

Local authorities have been calling for full access to “named patient data” in order to properly tackle local outbreaks, according to The Observer.

The paper reports Health Secretary Matt Hancock is set to announce local authorities will be able to access the named data as long as they abide by strict rules on data protection.

An unnamed Government source reportedly told the paper: “Subject to necessary data safeguards, we will enhance the level of this detail to ensure that local public health teams on the ground have the information they need to fight this virus.”

A spokesman from Public Health England said The Observer’s report was “accurate”, adding: “We have been routinely sharing test data with local authorities and are continually increasing the level of detail.”

The report was welcomed by Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham. He told The Observer: “It is good that the Government has finally acknowledged the truth of what we’ve been saying for weeks: that local teams need access to named patient data, ideally on a daily basis, if they are to mount the most effective effort on the ground to contain this virus. Despite claims to the contrary, even from the despatch box, this has not been happening.”

A spokeswoman from the Department of Health and Social Care said patient identifiable data is available to all upper tier local authorities who sign data protection agreements.

She added the data is the latest that Public Health England will have received at the point of extraction and all directors of public health have access to identifiable data to support their outbreak management responsibilities.