Consultation with stakeholders

This impact assessment has been developed in consultation with the following stakeholders: 

• NHS England GP Connect Programme team
• NHS England Privacy, Transparency, Ethics and Legal team 
• NHS England Clinical Safety team
• NHS England Information Security team
• NHS England Clinical leads 

The IG model, assurance principles and technical architecture of GP Connect has been developed in consultation with the following stakeholders:

• NHS England Caldicott Guardian
• NHS England Deputy Caldicott Guardian  
• the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) 
• the Information Governance Alliance (IGA)  
• the Joint GP IT Committee
• NHS England GP Connect Programme team
• NHS England Privacy, Transparency, Ethics and Legal team 
• NHS England Clinical Safety team
• NHS England Information Security team
• NHS England Clinical leads 

The National Data Guardian team has taken a great interest in supporting and enabling mass use of the Direct Care API. There as seen as the arbiters of “direct care” and of the limits to sharing in this context. Regular contact is maintained as the API-based service is extended.

The GP Connect data specifications have been developed in consultation with:

• INTEROPen (Interoperability SME network)
• NHS England Clinical leads
• NHS England Clinical Safety team
• NHS England Data Standards team
• NHS England Clinical Terminologists 
• The Principal Clinical System Suppliers 
• Professional Records Standards Body (PRSB)

The GP Connect programme has not yet actively engaged at a patient/citizen level. This decision was taken for the following reasons.

Although patients will benefit from the interoperability provided, they are not the users of GP Connect functionality.

GP Connect provides access to the GP Patient Record for the purposes of direct care. It is the responsibility of the identified Controller to inform those Data Subjects (patients) the ways in which their data is accessed and shared.

Other programmes within NHS England have dealt more widely with the subject of patients support of Data Sharing, The GOP Connect service applies the outcome of that engagement where necessary (for example data will not be shared if a patient has a ‘dissent to share’ flag on their record). 

As part of the ongoing development of GP Connect NHS England will consider, in conjunction with other stakeholders, where and how further engagement should take place.