Secondary Care ePMA Data Collection

NHS Digital is collecting data for medicine prescribed and given to patients by hospitals (acute, specialist and community hospitals, mental health units) in England, when that data is recorded on a computer system. Precautions have been put in place to ensure the information is securely transferred from hospitals to NHS Digital, is stored securely, and can only be accessed by organisations that have a legal basis and legitimate need to use it. The information will be analysed with the main objective being that it will improve safety for patients.

Some examples of what this data will be used for are to examine how antibiotics are used in hospitals, to see how new medicines are used, and to monitor high-risk medicines.

NHS Digital collect the information every week and will collect information back to June 2018 (or from the earliest time medicines were recorded on a computer system if after this date).

To read more in general about the health and care information NHS Digital collects, its legal basis for collecting this information and what choices and rights patients have, see NHS Digital’s keeping patient data safe web page.

You may also wish to opt out of sharing your health records which explains how patients can stop their personal information being shared for purposes that are not directly for their care.

NHS Digital has published a Transparency Notice which shows the legal basis for collecting and sharing this data.