Paula Wilkinson is Director of Pharmacy and Medicines Optimisation at Mid and South Essex Integrated Care Board and Senior Responsible Officer for Risk Stratification.
In this blog post, Paula explains how your data is used, the difference it makes to better personalised care and helping to plan health and care services in the future and what to do if you want to opt out.
Lastly, Paula shares an opportunity for you to get involved and help to improve the way we tell local residents about what and how their data is used.
What happens to your data?
Your data is used to help your GP provide better personalised care.
Data about you, such as your age, gender and medications prescribed, is also used to plan local health and care services. This data is kept anonymous and does not identify you.
This process is called risk stratification. We’re given special permission to use your data to support preventative personalised care by the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care through a clause called Section 251.
You can help to shape the way we tell people about how we use their data by sharing your views. The feedback you give us will help us to make sure local people know what we do with their data, how to opt out and what it means if you do.
What is risk stratification?
In mid and south Essex, we take part in two types of risk stratification:
- Risk stratification for case-finding
- Risk stratification for commissioning
In both cases risk stratification tools use patient data, such as age, gender, diagnoses, hospital attendance and admissions, which is collected by NHS England from NHS hospitals and community care services. This is then linked to data from GP practices and analysed.
Mid and South Essex Integrated Care Board (MSE ICB) and your GP use patient data to provide personalised care and improve services.
Risk stratification for case-finding
GPs use this method to spot and support patients with long-term conditions. It can help to prevent unexpected hospital visits or lower the chance of getting other diseases and health conditions.
Your GP will use computer-based algorithms or calculations to find registered patients who are at most risk.
Your GP will do this on a routine basis. It will be done electronically without human intervention and will produce a report that will be reviewed by a multidisciplinary team of staff at your practice. You might then be contacted if changes to your care are identified.
Risk stratification for commissioning
This is a process Mid and South Essex Integrated Care Board uses to understand the needs of the local population so they can commission the right services.
Data is sent directly to a risk stratification tool by NHS England and/or GP practices.
Once the data is in the tool, commissioning staff only have access to anonymised or groped information. You will not be personally identifiable, nor will any commissioning staff have access to your personal or confidential data.
An example of how your data can be used
Ali is a patient at High Street GP Practice.
Through the process of risk stratification, Ali’s GP has identified that Ali may be at a greater risk of developing Type 2 Diabetes.
Staff at Ali’s GP practice have been in touch to ask Ali into the surgery to discuss changes to their healthcare plan and invite them to take part in a preventative health management programme.
Your rights and how to opt out
If you are happy for your data to be used in this way, you don’t need to do anything.
If you don’t want your data included, you can choose to opt out by contacting Mid and South Essex Integrated Care Board [link to Contact us – Mid and South Essex Integrated Care System (ics.nhs.uk)], who will let your GP practice know. Your records will be updated to make sure your information is not included but you need to be aware that this can affect the proactive provision of your care.
Tell us what you think
Would you be willing to work with us to:
- Tell us how you feel about your data being used in this way?
- Help our local residents better understand how their data is used?
If your answer is yes, please complete a short survey and sign up to be selected as part of a focus group.
Please note: The survey is open until Monday 20th November 2023.
