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0300 303 5678
9th November 2021
Dear Sir
Re: Information Request – Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) 2000
Thank you for your email dated 23rd October 2021 requesting the date of publication of the GP Data
for Planning and Research Equality Impact Assessment (EIA).
We have considered your request in accordance with S.1 (1) of the Freedom of Information Act 2000
(FOIA).
We can confirm that there is no firm date for the publication of the EIA as the programme is not
working to set timescales as outlined in the letter dated 19 July 2021 to GP Practices, from the
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Jo Churchill, which set out a new
process for commencing the data collection, moving away from a previously fixed date of 1
September 2021. A copy of the letter is here on the NHS Digital website:
https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/data-collections-and-data-sets/data-collections/general-
practice-data-for-planning-and-research/secretary-of-state-letter-to-general-practice. This letter states
that:
Most importantly, I can confirm today that, while we are continuing to work on the
infrastructure, and communication for the project, we are not setting a specific start date
for the collection of data. Instead, we commit to start uploading data only when we have the
following in place:
● the ability to delete data if patients choose to opt-out of sharing their GP data with
NHS Digital, even if this is after their data has been uploaded;
● the backlog of opt-outs has been fully cleared;
● a Trusted Research Environment has been developed and implemented in NHS
Digital;
● patients have been made more aware of the scheme through a campaign of
engagement and communication.
We will publish the EIA in advance of the collection commencing and to take into account the revised
approach we are taking to the commencement as described in the letter
www.digital.nhs.uk
xxxxxxxxx@xxxxxxxxxx.xxx.xx
Disclosure log
In line with the Information Commissioner’s guidance on the disclosure of information under the
Freedom of Information Act 2000 your request will form part of our disclosure log. Therefore, a
version of our response which will protect your anonymity will be posted on the NHS Digital website.
I trust you are satisfied with our response to your request for information. However, if you are not
satisfied, you may request a review from a suitably qualified member of staff not involved in the initial
query, via the
xxxxxxxxx@xxxxxxxxxx.xxx.xx email address or by post at the above postal address.
If following an internal review, you remain unsatisfied with the way in which we have handled your
request you are entitled to ask the Information Commissioner to assess whether we have complied
with our obligations under FOIA by writing to them at the following address:
Information Commissioner's Office
Wycliffe House Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire SK9 5AF
Email
: xxxxxxxx@xxx.xxx.xx NHS Digital values customer feedback and would appreciate a moment of your time to respond to
our Freedom of Information (FOI) Survey to let us know about your experience. Please access the
survey through this li
nk here
Yours faithfully,
Higher Information Governance Specialist
www.digital.nhs.uk
xxxxxxxxx@xxxxxxxxxx.xxx.xx
