The Pharmaceutical Journal Vol 267 No 7178 p839-846
15 December 2001

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News summary

Society's ethics head to advise the NHS

Helen Darracott, head of professional ethics at the Royal Pharmaceutical Society has been appointed to the newly formed Patient Information Advisory Group which is to make sure that patients' rights are upheld in the use of medical information.

The new group, announced by the Government on 7 December, includes representatives of patient groups, health professionals and regulatory bodies. It chief role is to consider applications from organisations, such as the NHS, the Public Health Laboratory Service and the Health and Safety Executive, to use patient information without their consent under Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2001. The Act allows patient information to be used without consent where its purpose is to support essential NHS activity.

The Department of Health says that the group's recommendations will be published and debated in Parliament and that many of them will be subject to public consultation.

Organisations that are allowed to use patient information without consent will be expected to show that they are developing mechanisms either to obtain consent or to anonymise any data they use.

Further details are available on the internet at www.doh.gov.uk/ipu/confiden/index.htm.

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