Laura Donnelly reports: High street pharmacies such as Boots, Tesco and Superdrug will be given access to NHS medical records, under a national scheme which privacy campaigners fear could expose patients to “hard sell” tactics. Health officials have drawn up plans to send sensitive data from GP surgeries to pharmacies across the country, starting this autumn,…
Category: Healthcare
Medical privacy under threat in the age of big data
Farai Chideya writes: “I didn’t understand the issue of medical privacy. It sounded abstract,” says Deanna Fei, author of the new book Girl in Glass, which covers the premature birth of her daughter Mila and an ensuing storm over medical privacy and ethics. Now she says firmly, “This is an issue of civil rights and…
IL: Tragedy allows access for student health information to parents
Laura Nightengale reports: A Bartonville family’s tragedy prompted the creation a new law that will give colleges the ability to share students’ mental health information with parents. It wasn’t until after the death of their son, Chris, who was a freshman at Illinois State University last year, that Mike and Kim Predmore learned Chris had…
UK: Ombudsman; Council maladministration – Data Protection and mental health
Jacqui Thompson writes: Another complaint to the Ombudsman made against Carmarthenshire Council has been upheld. The complaint relates to Adult Social Care and the decision was issued in June. In summary, the matter has been ongoing since October 2011 and is both complex and very sensitive. It is also of wider interest as it concerns…