Patient records may be disclosed

Updated 11.05 Sun Sep 21 2008

Keywords: database, patient records, computer, Government, NHS

The Government is considering giving firms access to a massive computer database which will contain the records of almost every man, woman and child in England.

The database will benefit private companies, who could use it for medical research or for helping them to sell products to the NHS.

Privacy campaigners say they are "horrified" by the proposals which could see patients' information passed on to third parties without their consent

The information will contain millions of postcodes, medical conditions and details of almost all visits by patients to hospitals and GPs.

But privacy campaigners say they are "horrified" by the proposals which could see patients' information passed on to third parties without their consent.

Last week ministers gave in to pressure from privacy campaigners and agreed that medics will have to gain the consent of patients before opening their computer records.

However, in this case patients will have almost no control over the same information being passed on to companies and other bodies outside the NHS.