Data sharing of GP patient records
NHS Digital had planned to start the General Practice Data for Planning and Research (GPDPR) scheme from 1 July.
But it has now been put back to allow for a proper communications and engagement plan with the public across England.
The delay will give patients time to understand how and why their data is shared with researchers and people planning services - and to opt-out if they want to.
The decision to postpone the launch has been welcomed by Healthwatch England as well as patient groups National Voices, the Patients Association and the Richmond Group of Charities.
They say it gives the public time and space to make informed choices on a complex issue.
Here in Cambridgeshire ...
Our Healthwatch is talking with Cambridgeshire Local Medical Committee, which represents GPs and GP practices across our area, and with the Clinical Commissioning Group to make sure patients get the clear information they need about their rights and choices.
"Let us hope that in the interim, the postponement to the extraction date is only one part of a wider piece.
There are a number of things we all need, including templates for practices, a robust communications campaign for the public looking at both the merits and the safeguards built into the programme with clarity for patients on what the different opt-outs mean, and what services can be used or will be able to be accessed."
