UK public voice fear over security in NHS data systems
- Reference: 1715595311
- News link: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2024/05/13/uk_public_nhs_data_survey/
- Source link:
The research comes from NHS England, the government body running state health systems in the UK's largest nation.
Based on a survey with more than 2,200 people as well as interviews and group discussions, the health quango found 83 percent of people trust the NHS to keep their patient data secure and that the NHS is among the most trusted institutions in the UK, compared to universities, pharma companies, government departments and others.
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However, as NHS England embarks on a controversial program to store patient health data in a single Federated Data Platform (FDP), hosted in the cloud and managed using software from US spy-tech firm Palantir, other results may raise concern.
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The study showed that when asked whether they were worried that NHS IT systems may be vulnerable to cyber attacks, 47 percent of respondents slightly agreed while 35 percent strongly agreed.
Nearly half (49 percent) strongly agreed when asked if they were worried the NHS might make mistakes with their patient data, and 16 percent slightly agreed.
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Asked whether they were concerned that the NHS might sell patient data to companies without their permission, 18 percent said they strongly agreed while 32 percent slightly agreed.
Meanwhile, only 43 percent of respondents said they would trust companies providing the NHS with software to securely store and use their data.
The results follow the launch of the [5]NHS Data Saves Lives strategy in 2022, which came out of the use of data during the Covid pandemic.
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It includes engagement with the public and stakeholders on data programmes and projects, such as research and development, General Practice Data for Planning and Research, and the Federated Data Platform.
"To continue to build this public confidence, we need to ensure that our policies and programmes reflect how people think and feel about data. By identifying six attitudinal segments within the population, this research helps us better understand public attitudes to data in health and social care, and allows us to ensure our policies and programmes respond to these different groups. NHS England are already using the results from this research to make sure we hear from different perspectives during our large-scale national engagement on data," NHS England said of the survey.
It said the engagement program would continue this year and next, and the public will be asked to help shape data policy for health and care.
Critics might argue that much of that direction has already been set, and concerns about data security and trust in third-party providers ring alarm bells for projects already in progress.
For example, the £330 million ($412 million) [7]FDP contract was awarded to Palantir last year, while Accenture, PwC, NECS (an NHS-owned service provider), and Carnall Farrar – a healthcare consulting and data firm – also support the project. NHS England also awarded a separate three-year contract for NHS Privacy Enhancing Technology (NHS-PET) to IQVIA, a healthcare technology and consulting firm.
NHS England argues the FDP will make it easier for staff at NHS trusts and regional organizational boards to access the information they need, "freeing up valuable time to reinvest in delivering the best care possible for patients." The system is part of the health services plan to recover the backlog in care created by Covid without spending vast amounts of taxpayers' money.
[8]Investment analyst accuses Palantir of AI washing
[9]Nearly 1M medical records feared stolen from City of Hope cancer centers
[10]UK health department republishes £330M Palantir contract with fewer ██████
[11]Legal campaigners challenge UK.gov decision to redact NHS-Palantir contract
However, campaigners [12]are preparing a legal challenge to the way FDP shares data across the health system, while others have questioned the openness in publishing heavily redacted contracts.
The procurement of the FDP has attracted criticism too. In the early stages of the pandemic, Palantir began providing software to NHS England in a £1 contract, arranged without a competitive process. It went on to win business worth £1 million ($1.25 million), then a £23 million ($28.7 million) contract was [13]signed in December 2020, again without competition. More recent extension deals mean the analytics software company has won a total of £60 million ($75 million) from the NHS without competing against other companies that provide similar software.
Some of the use cases already supported by Palantir are set to transfer to the FDP, which was awarded after a competitive process. NHS England has maintained it was a fair and open competition. ®
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[5] https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/data-saves-lives-reshaping-health-and-social-care-with-data/data-saves-lives-reshaping-health-and-social-care-with-data
[6] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/databases&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33ZkI5JPRDlZcGfHvZCosavgAAABU&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[7] https://www.theregister.com/2023/11/22/palantir_wins_nhs_contract/
[8] https://www.theregister.com/2024/05/09/palantir_analyst_critic/
[9] https://www.theregister.com/2024/04/03/city_of_hope_data_theft/
[10] https://www.theregister.com/2024/03/25/nhs_palantir_contract_republished/
[11] https://www.theregister.com/2024/02/20/legal_campaigners_challenge_government_decision/
[12] https://www.theregister.com/2023/12/01/nhs_palantir_legal_challenge/
[13] https://www.theregister.com/2024/01/02/nhs_england_published_heavily_redacted/
[14] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
Re: fair and open competition
But, there was no competition.
How can that be considered fair ?
Re: fair and open competition
The politicians agreed with the maker of secret data harvesting software that certain secrets would be kept secret if the bid was approved
Too cheap to work
Too expensive to fail.
The problem with all NHS IT projects is that they are never financed properly. They always squeeze the suppliers and so corners are cut. Worse than that, those outfits with the experience and scale to supply IT to the NHS's 1.4 million staff, with concomitant training, support and implementation are not interested in getting involved with what has historically been a series of reputation destroying failures.
Avi, Pull your Socks up...
The NHS has pulled its socks up somewhat since the Wanna Cry fiasco.
There are annual compliance / Digital assessment.
National MFA is nearly complete.
Centralised Cyber team and service - MF Defender.
However, the issues I see are:
lack of joined up systems, outside of the national tenant, many trusts made up of multiple orgs all doing their own things.
A lack of follow-up on requirements, i.e. if I don't bother with the compliance, MFA or centralised Cyber stuff very little is going to happen, My org can just roll on with crap IT....
A lot of 3rd Party cloud services, storing a lot of clinical data from as "cloud first" ethos. Eeek!
Anon - 'cos I am an insider Bruv
Quality service?
With all due respect the NHS is a synonoym for "crap" as far as most people in the UK are concerned. That's not to discredit the vast majority of hardworking staff. It's a terrible but inenvitable outcome from decades of failures with little to zero accountability.
When you throw in concerns over budgets, the number of IT projects gone tits up so far, people at the top who don't understand IT, etc etc etc - this simply doesn't instill trust.
You can blame whoever you want, and you can be guaranteed everyone will blame each other. It will take a long time before public perception of anything NHS related shifts from "on the bones of their arse" to something resembling a quality service managed by people who know/care about the needs of the people they are supposed to be serving.
Put simply it doesn't particularly matter what system they use. But it does matter who delivers it and what the outward perception of that amounts to.
Sort it out from the top, maybe? A pipe dream.
Attitude
It seems as though they are concentrating more on altering our attitude towards them and their computer system, rather than tightening their security to the n'th degree and committing never to sell OUR data.
Re: Attitude
"To continue to build this public confidence, we..."
...will stick our fingers in our ears and... la la la la can't hear you
Calm your udders
The data is safely kept by big corporations who probably have a ton of backups (with third and fourth parties as well) plus if the data is hacked, we get another free backup!
and if you pay the hackers you can probably get your medical records quicker and closer to truth than from your GP or hospital.
There is nothing to worry folks!
Just pay your taxes and stiff the upper lip like everyone else.
The biggest problem with the NHS, is the big bosses and their pet accountants, they get massive pay and bonus, but don't give a shit if the NHS fails, they'll blame others, take the golden parachute payment and move on to the next pay cheque. The issues remain for the next muppet who promises the world and delivers little, and the cycle starts again with the NHS getting worse regardless how much money you through at it. NHS need to fix the simple basic stuff first, like having enough and the right staff nationally, you can't do that without training people which we aren't doing due to students being left with crippling loans or hiring private sector crazy wages. employing overseas staff and even training them at our expenses and then don't hang around to pay it back by serving in the NHS.
Consult and Ignore, business as usual. If it can be sold, it WILL be sold sooner or later.
No, it will be stolen. By people on the inside who have the keys. It will then be sold back to us.
Why worry
The glorious NHS wouldnt sell our data. It is a fine example of the government running so much for the benefit of the people. Dont forget to go outside and clap your hands.
\sarc
fair and open competition
Between a Tortoise, a Hare and a Horse where the success criteria was "look like a horse"