Patients discuss use of confidential data during Covid-19

Patients have been discussing with senior UCLH information governance managers the use of patient data by researchers during the Covid-19 outbreak, in the latest of our remote PPI sessions.

The meeting was held to discuss the implications of the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) notice requiring UCLH and other NHS Trusts by law to process confidential patient information as part of measures to counter the spread of Coronavirus.

As a follow on from the meeting, members of our Covid-19 research group will be looking at UCLH’s privacy notice which is being amended in light of the pandemic.

Group members will also be working on a poster for wards on this use of confidential patient information.

UCLH patient and former nurse Marcelle De Sousa said: “I think that most people understand why the government has introduced strict measures like staying at home and social distancing – and I think people accept that at a time like this, researchers and clinicians need to be helped as much as possible to understand the virus so that they can find ways to tackle it. I think people will be happy for their data to be used for research in this way.”