This privacy notice explains:
- Why we collect information about you (we call this ‘personal data’)
- What we do with it, including who we share it with (we call this ‘processing’)
- How long we keep it for and where we store it
- Our legal basis for using it
- What your data protection rights are
To read more about how NHS England uses personal data to improve health and care, see the NHS England privacy notice.
Your rights over your data
You can read more about the health and care information collected by NHS England, and your choices and rights on the following webpages:
NHS England’s general privacy notice
How we look after your health and care information
How to make a subject access request
Opt-outs
Type 1 opt-out
Type 1 opt-outs are recorded in GP practice records. They represent patients’ choice to opt out of their confidential patient information which is held by their GP practice from being used for purposes beyond their individual care (without their explicit consent). If you have registered a Type 1 opt-out with your GP practice, your choice will be respected, and your data will not be used by the NHS OpenSAFELY Data Analytics Service.
You can make register a Type 1 opt-out by completing a form and returning it to your GP practice. More information is available on the NHS website.
National Data Opt-Out
The National Data Opt-Out allows patients to opt out of their confidential patient information being used for research or planning purposes. If you have registered a National Data Opt-Out, your data will still be processed by NHS OpenSAFELY Data Analytics Service, with certain exceptions*. This is because the National Data Opt-Out does not apply where NHS England has a legal obligation to operate the service under the NHS OpenSAFELY Data Analytics Service Pilot Directions 2025. The National Data Opt-Out also does not apply to aggregate anonymous data (data which does not identify you) which is the only data shared with approved users of the OpenSAFELY service.