Health Secretary Matt Hancock FINALLY bows to pressure from councils to hand over names and testing data of Covid patients to help tackle local outbreaks in latest Government U-turn
- Local authorities calling for full access to ‘named patient data’, reports suggest
- Matt Hancock set to announce councils will be able to access the named data
- Helps tackle local outbreaks and authorities must abide by data protection rules
Matt Hancock will give in to local councils and allow access to the names and data of people in their areas who have tested positive for coronavirus, sources say.
Local authorities are said to have been calling for full access to ‘named patient data’ in order to properly tackle local outbreaks.
And now the health secretary will announce that public health directors working with councils will be able to access the named data – as long as they abide by strict rules on data protection.
An unnamed Government source told The Observer: ‘Subject to necessary data safeguards, we will enhance the level of this detail to ensure that local public health teams on the ground have the information they need to fight this virus.’
Matt Hancock (pictured) will give in to local councils and allow access to the names and data of people in their areas who have tested positive for coronavirus, sources say
He added: ‘We’re providing more and more detailed data to local directors of public health who sign data protection agreements, to help them tackle local outbreaks and hunt down this virus.’
A spokesman from Public Health England said the paper’s report was ‘accurate’, adding: ‘We have been routinely sharing test data with local authorities and are continually increasing the level of detail.’
The report was welcomed by Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham, who said he had been pushing to access named patient data for ‘weeks’.
Local authorities are said to have been calling for full access to ‘named patient data’ in order to properly tackle local outbreaks. Pictured: A drive-through test centre in Chessington in May
He said: ‘It is good that the Government has finally acknowledged the truth of what we’ve been saying for weeks: that local teams need access to named patient data, ideally on a daily basis, if they are to mount the most effective effort on the ground to contain this virus.
‘Despite claims to the contrary, even from the despatch box, this has not been happening.’
A spokeswoman from the Department of Health and Social Care said patient identifiable data is available to all upper tier local authorities who sign data protection agreements.
The report was welcomed by Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham (pictured), who said he had been pushing to access named patient data for ‘weeks’
She added the data, which is shared daily, is the latest that Public Health England will have received at the point of extraction and all directors of public health have access to identifiable data to support their outbreak management responsibilities.
This week, fresh powers were given to councils to shut down shops and events to help prevent local lockdowns.
Speaking at a Downing Street press briefing on Friday, the Prime Minister said: ‘From tomorrow, local authorities will have new powers in their areas.
‘They will be able to close specific premises, shut public outdoor spaces and cancel events.
‘These powers will enable local authorities to act more quickly in response to outbreaks where speed is paramount.’
Ministers will also be given extra powers, to be laid out in more detail next week, enabling them to close factories and sectors of the economy in certain regions and also re-introduce bespoke stay-at-home orders.