Anonymised data: pros and cons

Tim Kelsey Executive Director, Transparency and

Open Data, Cabinet Office

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Pros

• Anonymised data – at episode level - has been available for secondary uses analysis in the NHS for a decade

• This has enabled benchmarking analysis of clinical outcomes and measurable improvements in productivity and quality

• Without analysis of episode level data, fair standardisation of performance is rarely possible

• Operational use of data as management information improves quality of data

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Cons

• Risk to personal privacy? Academic theory of ‘jigsaw’ re-identification

• Expensive/ untested? Modern approaches to anonymisation and pseudonymisation are well established and relatively inexpensive

• Perverse incentive for professional behaviour (mis-coding; case selection)?

• Interpretation and publication of analysis• Legislative (and statutory) context

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Considerations

• Create obligation on analysts not to re-identify through contractual terms and conditions

• Privacy impact assessment to determine risk of identification pre-publication

• Small steps... but real steps

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