Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government, with regard to item 5.1 of the minutes of the meeting of NHS England’s Advisory Group on Data on 13 June, what data from the NHS spine is added to the NHS app analytics; what patients are told about that use of data; and how patients can object to this processing of their data.

Section 5.1, in the minutes from NHS England’s Advisory Group on Data meeting on 13 June 2024, was a discussion of a proposal that is still in consultation. Therefore, areas including but not limited to types of data use and individual subject rights are still under review and development.

Currently, the only data from NHS Spine used in NHS App analytics is related to the general practice (GP) surgery with which the user is registered. This includes the name of the GP surgery, its postcode, its Organisation Data Service code, and whether the surgery is operational.

NHS App users are informed about what the NHS App offers, and the personal data it requires to function. This information is provided through the NHS App Terms of Use and Privacy Notice, which can be found on the NHS.UK website, in an online only format. These provide details on the use of analytical data, and how users can exercise their rights. Users can also choose whether to allow the NHS App to collect performance data, with further information on this available in the NHS App cookies policy, also available on the NHS.UK website, in an online only format.