Sharing relevant data between services is vital to delivering high quality, good value care to you.

It means that you will receive care and treatment based on the most accurate information where and when you need it.  It also allows you to better monitor your own health and plan your care, alongside each professional. We will never share more information than is necessary to inform your care.

For example:

• sharing information about a child’s development during the early stages will help to give them the best start in life
• making sure clinicians can see what medication a person is currently being treated with will prevent harm

By analysing de-identified personal data we can better review and plan services based on accurate information.  It also supports groundbreaking research into new cures and treatments that could save lives here and around the world.  Data really does save lives.

There are strict rules about how patient data is used in research to ensure people’s information is protected.  Researchers are only ever given the minimal amount of information they need to conduct the study and a person’s name, date of birth and address are removed so they cannot be identified.  You can opt-out to your information being shared for reasons beyond your individual care.