NHS England claims care.data 'is not paused'

NHS tells Computing that care.data has NOT been paused - despite Somerset CCG claiming that it had been halted

NHS England has claimed that the care.data programme has not been paused, even though a statement from Somerset Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) specifically stated that the controversial project had been halted.

Somerset is one of four "pathfinder" pilot areas in England, along with Leeds, Blackburn with Darwen, and West Hampshire.

Earlier this week, Somerset CCG, said that the care.data pilot schemes had been paused because the Secretary of State for Health, Jeremy Hunt, had asked Dame Fiona Caldicott, the "data guardian for England", to provide advice on the wording for a new model of patient consent and opt-outs.

"The care.data programme will wish to use this revised information and hence the pilot site-testing cannot proceed until Dame Fiona's work is completed and the new consents agreed," a Somerset CCG spokesperson said.

But in an email sent to Computing, NHS England emphasised that the care.data programme had not been paused.

It said that it will continue to work with the pathfinders during the autumn, and is working through the detail of Hunt's announcements with Dame Fiona Caldicott.

Reiterating the words of NHS England's national director for patients and information, Tim Kelsey, the organisation said that it is not committing to any "artificial timelines" because it "wants to get this right for the patients".

"The public interest is best served by a proper debate about the nature of a person's right to opt out of data sharing and we will now have clarity on the wording for the next steps in the programme," the organisation told Computing.

The care.data scheme has been blighted with issues since its inception with patients, privacy campaigners and GPs all voicing concerns about the project.

Hunt admitted last week at the NHS Innovation Expo in Manchester that the NHS had not yet won the public's trust, especially in terms of just keeping data secure.