We are committed to protecting your personal data and ensuring that it is processed fairly and lawfully. Information you provide to us will be processed in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), the Data Protection Act 2018 (DPA 2018) and subsequent legislation.
See the Council’s corporate Privacy Notice
The following information relates specifically to data used by the Dudley Council Integrated Commissioning, Policy & Performance - Intelligence Team.
Dudley Council has a legal duty to protect and improve the health and wellbeing of people in the Dudley Borough. We use this data to:
- Measure the health, wellbeing and care needs of the population, including specific geographical areas or population groups
- Plan, evaluate or monitor health and social care policies and services
- Understand more about the nature, causes and outcomes of disease
To help us fulfil our legal obligations, we receive information from NHS Digital with information on birth and death registrations and hospital admissions.
Civil Registrations (Births and Deaths) data contain identifiable data which is required when linking into other datasets to investigate specific areas of concern or to verify the statistics produced. These fields are:
- postcode of usual residence
- place of birth text and postcode
- postcode of place of death
- NHS number
- date of birth
- date of death
- date of registration
- name of certifier
- name of coroner
- birth weight
- cause(s) of death
Hospital episode statistics (HES) data contain pseudonymised/ anonymised data which is not linked into other datasets and does not allow identification of individuals. A maximum of ten years data will be retained at any point, such that as each new data year is received, the oldest year will be deleted. The Local Authority will securely destroy the oldest data within six weeks of receiving the latest annual dataset.
The legal basis for the use of these data is section 42(4) of the Statistics and Registration Service Act (2007) as amended by section 287 of the Health and Social Care Act (2012) and regulation 3 of the Health Service (Control of Patient Information) Regulations 2002.
National Data Opt-Out and use of NHS data.
Whenever you use a health or care service, such as attending Accident & Emergency or using Community Care services, important information about you is collected in a Care or Patient record for that service. Collecting this information helps to ensure you get the best possible care and treatment.
The information collected about you when you use these services can also be used and provided to other organisations for purposes beyond your individual care, for instance to help with:
• improving the quality and standards of care provided
• research into the development of new treatments
• preventing illness and diseases
• monitoring safety
• planning services
This may only take place when there is a clear legal basis to use this information. All these uses help to provide better health and care for you, your family and future generations. Confidential patient information about your health and care is only used like this where allowed by law.
Most of the time, anonymised data is used for research and planning so that you cannot be identified in which case your confidential patient information isn’t needed.
You have a choice about whether you want your confidential patient information to be used in this way. If you are happy with this use of information you do not need to do anything. If you do choose to opt out your confidential patient information will still be used to support your individual care.
To find out more or to register your choice to opt out, please visit Your NHS Data Matters. On this web page you will:
• See what is meant by confidential patient information
• Find examples of when confidential patient information is used for individual care and examples of when it is used for purposes beyond individual care
• Find out more about the benefits of sharing data
• Understand more about who uses the data
• Find out how your data is protected
• Be able to access the system to view, set or change your opt-out setting
• Find the contact telephone number if you want to know any more or to set/change your opt-out by phone
• See the situations where the opt-out will not apply
You can also find out more about how patient information is used at:
NHS UK Information About Patients (which covers health and care research); and
Understanding Patient Data What You Need to Know (which covers how and why patient information is used, the safeguards and how decisions are made)
You can change your mind about your choice at any time.
Data being used or shared for purposes beyond individual care does not include your data being shared with insurance companies or used for marketing purposes and data would only be used in this way with your specific agreement.
Health and care organisations have until March 2021 to put systems and processes in place so they can be compliant with the national data opt-out and apply your choice to any confidential patient information they use or share for purposes beyond your individual care.
