Leaflets explaining how the NHS uses patient information are being posted to every household in England this month. Produced by NHS England, the leaflet entitled Better information means better care aims to promote the idea that sharing patient data can help improve care and identify which conditions require NHS investment.

The leaflet drop is part of a £2m public awareness campaign from NHS England and the Health and Social Care Information Centre, which aims to expand and link up hospital data with information from GP practices. Dr Geraint Lewis, chief data officer at NHS England, said: “This initiative is about upgrading our information systems to get a more complete picture of the quality of care being delivered across all parts of the NHS and social care.” Patients have the right to object to their data being used for purposes other than their direct care by contacting their GP.