Forum Topic

Dido's ambition

Tory peeress Dido Harding (ex phone foul-up, ex Covid tracing foul-up) wants to head the NHS. Shouldn't we all be fearful?

Alexander MacLeod ● 1701d25 Comments

This is a great example of how confusing it is and why there's such a lack of trust building up. (One think if you have your NHS Number a single link would allow you the options to opt out of both GP and non GP data.) I thought this press release I was sent by the BCS was a good summary of the situation (it's from before the deadline was extended):https://www.bcs.org/more/about-us/press-office/press-releases/nhs-lack-of-communication-with-patients-over-plans-to-share-their-data-is-astonishing-warns-chartered-institute-for-it/

Michael Ixer ● 1700d

Matt, I thought I had already opted out of that last year.  I shall have to check with the surgery, when they actually start answering the phone ...

Sue Hammond ● 1700d

it's to stop the data your GP holds being handed over, not to stop the GP from having it :)

Matt Palmer ● 1700d

Hi Michael. I am not too worried about my GP holding my medical data, how could they function properly without it?

Sue Hammond ● 1700d

Sue. That link will opt you out of non GP (hospital, clinic data, etc) but if you want data your GP holds on you opted out as well you'll need to download the PDF in Richard's link then fill it in and deliver or post it to your GP.  

Michael Ixer ● 1700d

@AM 08.06 14.28Thankyou for posting the link, you saved me a job.👍🏻 Have opted out and received the confirmation text.

Sue Hammond ● 1700d

It's sad in a way because this data would aid development and research in understanding health, medication and other treatments. Unfortunately the furtive way the government has approached this and the uncertainty that has created in how the data will be used and sold on has just created suspicion. There's been lots of confusion about the opt outs - as one can see from Richard's post there are actually two, one for data held by GPs and the second for other datra gathered by the NHS at clinics, hospitals, etc. The principle of data privacy should bye that personal data such as this is controlled by the individual except where it's needed for operational processing, in which case it should be regulated according to the GDPR, DPA and other laws. This data grab by default rather than explicit permission is somewhat suspect (although one might understand why they've done that); however, one should be able to rescind permission once granted and as the data is pseudonymised rather than anonymised that is technically possible.

Michael Ixer ● 1700d

Thanks, Alexander, this important issue with the risks of data being sold off for private firms to exploit isn't being publicised enough. But there's an even easier way to opt out than the NHS's convoluted and (deliberately?) difficult process, and that can be found here:http://medconfidential.org/how-to-opt-out/

Richard Carter ● 1700d

Andy, sometimes things are done bit by bit. NHS dentistry being an example.The NHS has always been a complicated beast and we have to remember there was lots of compromises when set up.It is interesting looking at GPs, who were not employees when it was set up. I'm not sure what the latest figures are but the percentage of GPs as NHS employees has been growing, howwever it doesn't look straightforward:https://www.bmj.com/content/355/bmj.i5064

Ed Robinson ● 1700d

@Sue. I hope you're right (and, yes, I was playing devils advocate a bit with this) but sometimes governments with large majorities do things that aren't sensible: the railways gave had problems since privatisation and the housing stock hasn't recovered since the council house sell off by Thatcher ... and whatever made Blair follow Bush into Iraq?I'm sure the the red wall voters don't care about young EU citizens but their governments do ... but when Brexit negotiations around key areas like financial services still have to be concluded pergaps it's not a good idea to be too heavy handed? Plus, unlike other most oither non UK citizens entering the UK, EU citizens are covered by the European Human Rights Convention which the EK is also a signatory to and further confirmed its adherence to as part of the recent Brexit  agreement. I'm sure detention without  putting EU ciutizens in touch with consular services was just incompetence by border forces, or they've just been told to be nasty? Does the UK really want end up in the European Court?

Michael Ixer ● 1700d

@Michael 14.53There may be some (MPs) in the Tory party who are in favour of privatisation of the NHS, but I would argue that most voters are not in favour of it and would make their feelings known at the ballot box. It would be the kiss of death for the Conservatives to go down that route and would guarantee a Labour Government, whoever the leader was. Even Calamity Corbyn would get in on that ticket lol."Still we can now put EU citizens in detention centres but the future at the NHS is in doubt. Let's hope Johnson remembers the red wall votes ..."I don't think putting EU citizens temporarily into detention centres would devastate too many red wall voters to be honest ...As per usual The (Hysterical) Guardian has blown this issue up out of all proportion. 🙄 However, a realistic and reasoned report of what is going on can be read in POLITICO, part of which I have copied below:From Politico"EU citizens are being detained and held in immigration removal centers after trying to enter the U.K. for work without visas or residence status, in a further blow to post-Brexit relations between Britain and the Continent.EU diplomats have expressed concern about the transfer of the bloc’s nationals to immigration removal centers, where they are being held for up to seven days in some cases before being returned to their home countries. This mirrors the treatment nationals from non-EU countries in the same situation have long faced.The Home Office has not yet released official data on the number of EU nationals held at these centers since the start of the year. But POLITICO has heard of 30 cases involving German, Greek, Italian, Romanian and Spanish nationals.European embassies in London are offering legal advice and intervening to try to shorten the period of detention, although not all EU citizens are seeking consular support.Diplomats said most cases concern young people, many of whom try to enter the U.K. to work as au pairs or to find low-skilled jobs for short periods of time — a practice that was common when Britain was subject to the EU’s freedom-of-movement rules."Full report here:EU citizens detained by UK after landing without work visas – POLITICOhttps://www.politico.eu/article/eu-citizens-detained-uk-work-visas-brexit/

Sue Hammond ● 1700d

one good thing to come out of Covid id that if any government were thinking of getting rid of the NHS it wont happen.I have to say Iv read these scare stories about getting rid of the NHS for many years but never seen any concrete evidence that any govt would risk such a massive vote loser. Seems to be one of those fear stories that crop up every election ad generally fails to get any traction.

Andy Pike ● 1700d

Sue. A generalisation, deliberately provocative - yes; ridiculous, nor really. There are mnanay in the Tory party who would like to dissemble the NHS, privatise is, replace it with insurance, etc so voting for them is always a risk to the NHS. Actually, Brexit  isn't completed yet. The Northern Ireland protocol that Johnson and Frost agreed to has still to be implemented and is in a mess at the moment, financial service agreements are still under discussion, touring visas for performers in the EU is still a mess and needs resolving, ... Still we can now put EU citizens in detention centres but the future at the NHS is in doubt. Let's hope Johnson remembers the red wall votes ...

Michael Ixer ● 1701d

"One has to assume anyone who voted for Johnson and his party at the last election didn't want an NHS?"That's a ridiculous generalisation. I voted Conservative because Boris promised to get Brexit done, and he did. Plus there was no viable alternative imo, then or now.

Sue Hammond ● 1701d

Re the (now delayed to 1 Sept) data grab, by going online you can opt out:https://www.nhs.uk/your-nhs-data-matters/manage-your-choice/ And you can of course make your feelings known by writing to your GP and MP.

Alexander MacLeod ● 1701d

Slightly off topic, but it looks like the Government is slowing down its data grab ...https://www.computing.co.uk/news/4032493/update-government-delay-controversial-nhs-sharing-plan

Michael Ixer ● 1701d

One has to assume anyone who voted for Johnson and his party at the last election didn't want an NHS? It's amazing how Harding and co could spend so much money on such an ineffective test and trace programme ... still it will keep the consultants in champagne while the poorest in the world won't have clean water because of cuts in overseas development aid budget. So much for levelling up. (Still Harding was useful for something. When she was floundering in front of the media after the Talk Talk data loss many other CEOs started asking their infosec people what that budget was they wanted for cyber security; it wasn't something they wanted to go through 🙂) 

Michael Ixer ● 1701d

Thank you Sue for your first line - it gave us a good laugh.  It is such a shame that it is so serious and you need to compare your first line to Polly Toynbee's article's last line.

Philippa Bond ● 1701d

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/jun/07/dido-harding-nhs-test-and-trace-boris-johnson?Polly Toynbee's piece on this story.  I too heard Woman's Hour where Dido Harding repeatedly refused to apologise for anything and showed an ostrich-like attitude to any criticism.

Philippa Bond ● 1701d

What happened to the meritocracy and levelling up?Must sign the NHS Data opt out form if there's any chance of Harding getting anywhere near the NHS and its data. 

Michael Ixer ● 1701d

"Not a good track record ??" No, but a marketable pedigree. Grandfather was Field Marshal Lord Harding who as I recall it fought against independence movements in Malaya, Kenya and Cyprus (famously sent Archbishop Makarios to the Seychelles in failed bid to hinder Cyprus achieving nationhood).

Alexander MacLeod ● 1701d

She was on Woman's Hour on Monday and questioned about this. She certainly didn't deny an interest. But she sounded so dumb I found it hard to believe she'd ever been head of anything, achieved a degree, passed GCSEs or anything else. Unimpressive.

Elizabeth Balsom ● 1701d

Not a good track record 🙁

Michael Ixer ● 1701d

I wouldn't trust this woman to run a bath, let alone the NHS! Not only is she totally inept, as her track record proves, I think she would be very dangerous in that position. Thank god Cameron isn't still PM because she'd probably be given the job, to go along with the peerage he gave her. From Wiki:A member of the Conservative Party, Harding is married to Conservative Party Member of Parliament John Penrose and is a friend of former Prime Minister David Cameron. Harding was appointed as a Member of the House of Lords by Cameron in 2014. Penrose sits on the advisory board of a think tank called 1828 which calls for the NHS to be replaced by an insurance system and for Public Health England to be scrapped.

Sue Hammond ● 1701d

good article on 'the queen of carnage' herehttps://www.theregister.com/2021/06/07/dido_harding_nhs_ceo/

Matt Palmer ● 1701d