The Health Service (Control of Patient Information) Regulations 2002

Regulations 5 and 6(2)(c)

THE SCHEDULE General Provisions

Circumstances in which confidential patient information may be processed for medical purposes under regulation 5 and particulars for registration under regulation 6.

1.  The processing of confidential patient information for medical purposes with a view to making the patient in question less readily identifiable from that information.

2.  The processing of confidential patient information that relates to the present or past geographical locations of patients (including where necessary information from which patients may be identified) which is required for medical research into the locations at which disease or other medical conditions may occur.

3.  The processing of confidential patient information to enable the lawful holder of that information to identify and contact patients for the purpose of obtaining consent—

(a) to participate in medical research;

(b) to use the information for the purposes of medical research, or

(c) to allow the use of tissue or other samples for medical purposes.

4.  The processing of confidential patient information for medical purposes from more than one source with a view to—

(a) linking information from more than one of those sources;

(b) validating the quality or completeness of—

(i) confidential patient information, or

(ii) data derived from such information;

(c) avoiding the impairment of the quality of data derived from confidential patient information by incorrect linkage or the unintentional inclusion of the same information more than once.

5.  The audit, monitoring and analysing of the provision made by the health service for patient care and treatment.

6.  The granting of access to confidential patient information for one or more of the above purposes.