National Data Opt-Out

Stockport NHS Foundation Trust has implemented the National Data Opt Out process which enables patients to opt out from the use of their data for research or planning purposes in line with the recommendations of the National Data Guardian.

Whenever you use a Stockport NHS Foundation Trust health or care service, such as attending Accident & Emergency, attending an Outpatient appointment or using Community Services, confidential patient information is collected to help ensure you get the best possible care and treatment.

Your health and care information is used to improve your individual care. It also can be used to help us research conditions and plan services. Wherever possible we try to use data that does not identify you, but sometimes it is necessary to use your confidential patient information.

You can choose to stop your confidential patient information being used for research and planning at any time and you can also make a choice for someone else like your children under the age of 13.

Confidential patient identifiable information is only shared with other organisations where there is a legal basis as follows:

• When there is a Court Order or a statutory duty to share patient data;
• When there is a statutory power to share patient data;
• When the patient has given his/her explicit consent to the sharing;
• When the patient has implicitly consented to the sharing for direct care purposes;
• When the sharing of patient data without consent has been authorised by the Confidentiality Advisory Group

The information collected about you when you use our services can also be provided to organisation like other NHS organisations, local authorities, university and hospital researchers, medical colleges and pharmaceutical companies researching new treatments.

These are 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 disease
• Monitoring safety
• Planning services

This helps us to provide better health care for you, your family and future generations.

You have a choice about whether you want your confidential patient information used in this way.

What you should do next?

You do not need to do anything if you are happy about how your confidential patient information is used.

If you do not want your confidential patient information to be used for research and planning, you can choose to opt out securely online, through a telephone service or via the NHS App as this becomes available.

To opt out visit: https://www.nhs.uk/your-nhs-data-matters/manage-your-choice/ or call 0300 303 5678

You can change your choice at anytime by either going on the website https://www.nhs.uk/your-nhs-data-matters/manage-your-choice/ or calling 0300 303 5678

To find out more about the wider use of confidential personal information visit: Your NHS Data Matters website. If you do choose to opt out you can still consent to your data being used for specific purposes.

Coronavirus Update

To help the NHS respond to coronavirus, your information may be used for coronavirus research purposes even if you have chosen not to share it. Any information used will be shared appropriately and lawfully.

This information is also available to download in other formats

Click here to download the following materials:

Ø  Watch a British Sign Language video of the patient handout.

• Listen to an audio version of the patient handout.
• Order a braille version of the patient handout.
• Download the Easy Read booklet of the handout, designed for people with learning disabilities.
• Download a large print version of the patient handout.
• Download in other languages
• Guidance for Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) patients
• Guidance for carers
• Guidance for young people  
• More information for patients with a previous type 2 opt-out

You can also order copies of all these resources from the Health Publications website, by selecting the ‘Your Data Matters to the NHS’ campaign.