Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether people's health data can be shared with non-health authorities without consent during the covid-19 outbreak.
Data law provides a number of gateways that enable sharing of personal data, including personal health data, with a range of organisations without the individual's consent. These include where sharing is legally required or where it is in the public interest.
We have used existing powers to publish Control of Patient Information (COPI) notices to require organisations working for the health service, local authorities and the Department's arm’s length bodies to share data to support the response to COVID-19. An individual's confidential patient information can only be shared under the COPI notices where it is allowed under data protection legislation such as the Data Protection Act and United Kingdom General Data Protection Regulations. The Health Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions) (Self-Isolation) (England) Regulations 2020 also enable the disclosure of confidential patient information to a non-health authority during the management of the COVID-19 outbreak.