They've Got With You SUS

No, this blog hasn't suddenly reverted to reminiscing about punk bands (track 3 of the Ruts' great debut album) or the awful stop-and-search laws which were thankfully abolished in the early 80s.

SUS in this case refers to the somewhat innocuous Secondary Use Service database which is part of the NHS' National Programme for IT. Computer Weekly reports confirmation from the minister in charge of NPfIT that the police will have access to the database where there is an (undefined) "overriding public interest". This is worrying. The data may be "pseudonymised" and such accesses audited but, as GP Paul Thornton points out:

Currently the decision to release sensitive information can only be made by the GP practice to whom it was divulged by the patient. The professional can defend the principle of patient privacy, if needed in the judicial process prior to a court order. Under the new process, the decision is made by an agent of the state.

There are clear examples in history of medical information being subverted by state agencies as part of the migration of societies from liberal democracy to totalitarianism. That is why European law is less complacent in this regard

Currently, the police can only seek patient information once they have identified the individual. With the national database it becomes possible to search the data to identify the individual."

This just seems to be the perfect opportunity for fishing trips amongst our most sensitive data. What sort of oversight is going to be provided? What recourse will we have to see when and why our data has been accessed? Will it stop at the police?