Processing/ Handling of confidential records

Department of Health and Social Care did not have the information requested.

Dear Department of Health,

I am aware that several private companies may handle and process full
patient level healthcare data and that they 'anonymise' the data. This still provides full potentially inaccurate and embarrassing data alongside my date of birth and also postcode. I am also aware that these 'gaps' are routinely 'filled in' effectively making a full patient level package of information available.

What companies/ organisations handle, process, retain and hold my
data. Please list the type of data they hold and provide the
address of their data controller. Please also clarify the purposes
of this and the methods of transmission of this data.

Please also specify how any patient (should they per chance
discover that this is happening to their personal data) might
ensure that their data is processed in line with their wishes- Is this via a specific opt out form or s10 DPA request to your the data controller?

I would be grateful if you would be kind enough to send me the
requested information promptly and in any event not later than the
twentieth working day following the date of receipt of my request.

If my request is denied in whole or in part, or specific items
within the responses are withheld from disclosure, then you must
justify all deletions by reference to specific exemptions of the
act, as per Section 17 of the Act Where you rely on a qualified
exemption to withhold disclosure,you are obliged to consider the
public interest in your decision and the refusal notice must
explain not only which exemption
applies and why, but also the public interest arguments addressed
in reaching the decision.

I wish to receive the information by email; I believe such a
request would be reasonable in these circumstances- per Section
11 of Part 1 of the FOI Act. I would be grateful if you would "so
far as reasonably practicable give effect to that preference"; if you determine that
it is not reasonably practicable to comply with this preference
then you are required by law to notify me of the reasons for your
determination.

The “return address” (to which the information that I have
requested be should be sent ) is [email address]

I would be grateful if you would kindly acknowledge receipt of this
request as recommended by the ICO (“It would be good practice to
acknowledge receipt of requests and to refer to the 20 working day
time limit, so that applicants know their request is being dealt
with”).

Yours faithfully,

Andrew Barlow

Department of Health and Social Care

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Department of Health and Social Care

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Communications via the GSi may be automatically logged, monitored and/or
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Andrew B left an annotation ()

Leaflet answers
1)
YES they sell this data- but they do not who to yet nor are there any descriptions or protocols to deduce for what purpose.

2)
Yes you can object to this data being collected but they are likely to do so anyway where the law says they can (a law that is being eroded quickly)

3)
You have no control over who accesses what- not just yet anyway.

Only when I die do they stop exporting data! - so be it! there is little point in pursuing this. Life is hard enough.