Secondary uses of information by the HHR

The request was successful.

Dear NHS South Commissioning Support Unit,

Thank you very much for all your previous FOI responses.

I would like to make another request under the FOI Act.

For the purposes of the Act, please take the date of your receipt of this request as 18th December 2015.

My request concerns the entire HHR database, so includes all CCGs that have one or more practices uploading to the HHR.

If I genuinely need to specify just one CCG, as a "representative sample" for the purposes of my request, make it NEHFCCG.

In a previous response, you have kindly provided me with some information:
https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/2...

My request today is of a similar nature.

Please could you provide me with a list of all the organisations (both NHS & non-NHS) that have been supplied information extracted from the HHR database for secondary purposes (that is, aggregated/anonymised/pseudonymised information provided for purposes out with direct medical care, such as "research", "healthcare audit" and "commissioning") since 1st April 2015 to date.

For each organisation detailed, please could you tell me:

• The name of the organisation that data was supplied to

• The nature/content of the information provided (including whether anonymised, aggregated or pseudonymised)

• The purpose for the information release (as described by the receiving organisation when requested from you)

• The steps taken by the HHR to assess the risk of possible re-identification of the supplied data by the receiving organisation

I look forward to receiving this information from you in due course.

Thank you once again.

Yours sincerely,

Dr Neil Bhatia

Dear NHS South Commissioning Support Unit,

I would be very grateful if you could kindly acknowledge my request, so that I know that my request is being processed.

Thank you.

Kind regards,

Dr Neil Bhatia

SCWCSU Internalcomms (NHS CENTRAL SOUTHERN COMMISSIONING SUPPORT UNIT), NHS South, Central and West Commissioning Support Unit

Dear Dr Neil Bhatia,

Your email enquiry has come through to South, Central and West CSU (South CSU merged in April 2015).

Your FOI request has been forwarded to the correct team who will endeavour to respond to you as soon as possible.

Regards
Jessica

Jessica Stone | Strategic Communications Officer
NHS South, Central and West Commissioning Support Unit
First Floor Rivergate House, Newbury Business Park, Newbury, RG14 2PZ
M: 07557 188 149 | E: [email address]
www.scwcsu.nhs.uk
"Please be aware that all e-mails received and sent by this organisation are subject to the Freedom of Information Act (2000) and may be disclosed to a third party. If you believe you have been sent this message in error, please inform the sender and delete the message and any attachments as soon as possible. All messages sent by this organisation are checked for viruses but this does not, and cannot, guarantee that a virus has not been transmitted."

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FOI England (NHS ENGLAND), NHS South, Central and West Commissioning Support Unit

Dear Dr Bhatia,

 

Thank you for your Freedom of Information (FOI) request, dated 18 December
2015. We apologise for the delay in acknowledging your request.

 

Please be assured that your request is being dealt with under the terms of
the Freedom of Information Act 2000 and will be answered within twenty
working days.

 

If you have any queries about this request or wish to contact us again,
please email [1][email address]  and the message will be
forwarded appropriately. Please remember to quote the above reference
number in any future communications.

 

Please do not reply to this email. This message has been sent from a
central mailbox. To communicate with NHS England regarding Freedom of
Information (FOI) requests, enquiries or complaints we ask these are sent
directly to NHS England’s customer contact centre. This is to ensure all
communications are progressed correctly. Their postal address, telephone
number and email details are as follows:- PO Box 16738, Redditch, B97 9PT;
0300 3 11 22 33, [2][email address]  .

 

Yours sincerely,

 

 

 

Freedom of Information

Corporate Communications Team

Patients and Information Directorate

 

NHS England

PO Box 16738

REDDITCH

B97 9PT

 

Tel: 0300 311 22 33

Email: [3][email address]

 

 

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References

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1. mailto:[email address]
2. mailto:[email address]
3. mailto:[email address]

FOI England (NHS ENGLAND), NHS South, Central and West Commissioning Support Unit

Dear Dr Bhatia,

 

Re:      Freedom of Information request (Our Ref: FOI-009390)

 

I am writing further to my acknowledgement email of 30 December 2015
regarding your Freedom of Information (FOI) request.  

 

Please accept my apologies but NHS England is not in the position to
respond to your request in full. We are still in the process of assessing
your request and I hope to provide you with a full response as soon as
possible.

 

If you have any queries about this request or wish to contact us again,
please email [1][email address] and the message will be
forwarded appropriately. Please quote the reference number FOI-009390 in
any future communications.

 

This message has been sent from a central mailbox. To communicate with NHS
England regarding Freedom of Information (FOI) requests, enquiries or
complaints we ask these are sent directly to NHS England’s customer
contact centre. This is to ensure all communications are progressed
correctly. Their postal address, telephone number and email details are as
follows:- PO Box 16738, Redditch, B97 9PT; 0300 3 11 22 33,
[2][email address].

   

Yours sincerely,

 

 

Freedom of Information

Corporate Communications Team

Patients and Information Directorate

 

NHS England

PO Box 16738

REDDITCH

B97 9PT

 

Tel: 0300 311 22 33

Email: [3][email address]

 

 

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1. mailto:[email address]
2. mailto:[email address]
3. mailto:[email address]

Dear FOI England (NHS ENGLAND),

Under s10 of the Act, you have:
* a duty under section 1(1)(a) confirm or deny whether the information that I requested is held
* a duty under section 1(1)(b) to provide the information that is held to me

or

* a duty under section 17 to issue a refusal notice explaining why my request has been refused.

Are you requesting an extension to the limit to perform a public interest test?

The 20 day limit runs out tomorrow so I would appreciate your clarification before then (when I shall report the breach to the ICO).

Kind regards,

Dr Neil Bhatia

FOI England (NHS ENGLAND), NHS South, Central and West Commissioning Support Unit

Dear Dr Bhatia,

Thank you for your email below dated 20 January 2016. As explained in our email earlier today, NHS England is not in a position to provide a full response to your request. We are not extending the deadline under the public interest test in relation to an engaged exemption. I am sorry for the dissatisfaction this may cause and assure you we are working to provide you with a full response as soon as possible.

Yours sincerely,

Freedom of Information
Corporate Communications Team
Patients and Information Directorate

NHS England
PO Box 16738
REDDITCH
B97 9PT

Tel: 0300 311 22 33
Email: [email address]

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Dear FOI England (NHS ENGLAND),

Thank you , I have referred the matter to the ICO as a s10 breach.

Yours sincerely,

Dr Neil Bhatia

Dr Neil Bhatia left an annotation ()

ICO wrote to NHS England:

26 January 2016

Case Reference Number xxxxxxxxxxx

Dear Sir/Madam

Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOIA)
Complaint from Dr Neil Bhatia
Information request reference FOI-009390

The Information Commissioner has received a complaint from Dr Bhatia stating that no response has been sent to an information request submitted to your organisation on 18 December 2015.

Any public authority in receipt of such a request is under a duty to respond within 20 working days of receipt. As you have not responded but did acknowledge receipt of the request, please now respond within 10 working days of receipt of this letter.

You should state whether or not the information is held in a recorded form. If it is held, you should either provide the information or issue a refusal notice in accordance with the requirements of section 17 of the Freedom of Information Act or regulation 14 of the Environmental Information Regulations as appropriate. You can find more information on refusal notices contained in the guidance issued by the Commissioner which is available at:

http://ico.org.uk/for_organisations/free...

I would also draw your attention to the guidance issued in respect of the time in which a response to a request for information should be provided.

http://ico.org.uk/for_organisations/guid...

http://ico.org.uk/for_organisations/guid...

In the event of other, similar complaints, the Commissioner may consider taking enforcement action under section 52 of the FOIA.

Finally, you should be aware that the Information Commissioner often receives requests for copies of the letters we send and receive when dealing with casework. Not only are we obliged to deal with these in accordance with the access provisions of the DPA and the Freedom of Information Act 2000, it is in the public interest that we are open transparent and accountable for the work that we do.

For further advice on how to deal with information requests, please visit our website at www.ico.org.uk, or you can contact me on the number below. Please quote the case reference number from the top of this letter.

Yours faithfully

FOI England (NHS ENGLAND), NHS South, Central and West Commissioning Support Unit

1 Attachment

Dear Dr Bhatia

 

Re:      Freedom of Information request (Our Ref: FOI-009390)

 

Thank you for your Freedom of Information (FOI) request dated 18 December
2016.

 

Your exact request was:-

 

“My request concerns the entire HHR database, so includes all CCGs that
have one or more practices uploading to the HHR.

    

If I genuinely need to specify just one CCG, as a "representative sample"
for the purposes of my request, make it NEHFCCG.

    

In a previous response, you have kindly provided me with some information:

    
[1]https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/2...

    

My request today is of a similar nature.

    

Please could you provide me with a list of all the organisations (both NHS
& non-NHS) that have been supplied information extracted from the HHR
database for secondary purposes (that is
aggregated/anonymised/pseudonymised information provided for purposes out
with direct medical care, such as "research", "healthcare audit" and
"commissioning") since 1st April 2015 to date.

    

For each organisation detailed, please could you tell me:

    

     • The name of the organisation that data was supplied to

    

     • The nature/content of the information provided (including whether
anonymised, aggregated or pseudonymised)

    

     • The purpose for the information release (as described by the
receiving organisation when requested from you)

    

     • The steps taken by the HHR to assess the risk of possible
re-identification of the supplied data by the receiving organisation”

 

NHS England holds information in relation to your request.

 

Please see the attached document which contains the information.

 

I hope this information is helpful. However, if you are dissatisfied, you
have the right to ask for an internal review by writing to us, within two
months of the date of this letter, to:

 

NHS England

PO Box 16738

REDDITCH

B97 9PT

 

Email: [2][email address]

 

Please quote the reference number FOI-009390 in any future communications.

 

If you are not content with the outcome of the internal review, you have
the right to apply directly to the Information Commissioner for a
decision. The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) can be contacted at:

 

The Information Commissioner’s Office

Wycliffe House

Water Lane

Wilmslow

Cheshire

SK9 5AF

 

Telephone: 0303 123 1113

Email: [3][email address]  

Website: [4]www.ico.gov.uk

 

Please note there is no charge for making an appeal.

 

Please be aware that in line with the Information Commissioner’s directive
on the disclosure of information under the FOI Act, your request will form
part of our disclosure log which is routinely published through our
[5]publication scheme.

 

Please do not reply to this email. This message has been sent from a
central mailbox. To communicate with NHS England regarding Freedom of
Information (FOI) requests, enquiries or complaints we ask these are sent
directly to NHS England’s customer contact centre. This is to ensure all
communications are progressed correctly. Their postal address, telephone
number and email details are as follows:- PO Box 16738, Redditch, B97 9PT;
0300 3 11 22 33, [6][email address].

   

Yours sincerely,

 

 

Freedom of Information

Corporate Communications Team

Patients and Information Directorate

 

NHS England

PO Box 16738

REDDITCH

B97 9PT

 

Tel: 0300 311 22 33

Email: [7][email address]

 

 

 

 

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References

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1. https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/2...
2. mailto:[email address]
3. mailto:[email address]
4. http://www.ico.gov.uk/
5. http://www.england.nhs.uk/contact-us/pub...
6. mailto:[email address]
7. mailto:[email address]

Dr Neil Bhatia left an annotation ()

More information about NHS data sharing, including care.data, the SCR, the HHR, the SHCR, the SIR, secondary uses, and local data streaming initiatives, can be found at:

www.nhsdatasharing.info