In a bid to protect the privacy of individuals and reduce security risks associated with storing confidential data, the Department of Health in conjunction with the Information Commissioners' Office agreed that patients will be allowed to delete electronic summaries of their treatment records. This decision signifies a dramatic concession in data protection policy and may be of particular interest to data protection officers at institutions. More on this story can be accessed here: http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2009/may/26/nhs-patient-medical-database-spine.
(02/06/09)