§ Lord Lane of Horsellasked Her Majesty's Government:
When they intend to publish guidance to the NHS on the protection and use of patient information.
§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health (Baroness Cumberlege)We will be issuing guidance to the National Health Service and other interested bodies tomorrow. Copies will he placed in the Library. The guidance will emphasise the legal duty of all NHS bodies and staff to protect patient confidentiality, as well as the importance of informing patients of the essential uses to which personal information, anonymised wherever possible, may be put.