Written question asked by Lord Dodds of Duncairn (Democratic Unionist Party) on Wednesday, 1 July 2026, in the House of Lords. It was due for an answer on Wednesday, 15 July 2026. It was answered by Baroness Merron (Labour) on Tuesday, 21 July 2026 on behalf of the Department of Health and Social Care.

Medical Records: Data Protection

Question: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the risks to patient confidentiality of digital medical records being shared across multiple healthcare trusts.

Answer: Where medical records are shared across National Health Service organisations, such as the Shared Care Record program, organisations should complete a Data Protection Impact Assessment. This allows them to consider the data protection and confidentiality risks involved, and outlines what actions they can take to mitigate the risk to an acceptable level. NHS England has published guidance on this subject, Information Governance Framework: Shared Care Records, a copy of which is attached.

Secondary information