Doctors of the World Launch #StopSharing Patient Data Campaign

Doctors of the World Launch #StopSharing Patient Data Campaign – Help Spread the Word

Doctors of the World has just launched its #StopSharing campaign calling on the UK government to stop using NHS patients’ personal information to track down migrants. The deal struck in January between the Home Office and NHS Digital gives the Home Office easier access to migrant patients’ information, such as addresses, and allows them to track down, arrest and deport undocumented migrants. Patient confidentiality is essential for NHS staff to be able to do their job – and yet they have not been consulted about this deal, with concerns raised by medical organisations ignored. Support the #StopSharing campaign by sharing the petition with your networks and taking action on social media. You can also help promote the “Safe Surgeries” toolkit for healthcare professionals which gives GP practices concrete ways to defy the data-sharing deal by keeping their patients’ addresses off NHS records, including using the GP practice address as c/o address. Resources to promote the campaign are at the bottom of this email or on the DotW website.

How can I help?
STEP 1:
Sign the petition. We’re launching a petition with the National Aids Trust and Liberty against the deal. We will take the petition to the government and ask them to respond. Use the suggested social media posts in step 3 to promote the petition and help us get more than 10,000 signatures.
https://you.38degrees.org.uk/ p/stopsharingNHSinfo

STEP 2:
Download the toolkit. The “Safe Surgeries” toolkit for healthcare professionals gives GP practices concrete ways to defy the data-sharing deal by keeping their patients’ addresses off NHS records, including using the GP practice address as c/o address. All suggestions are in line with NHS guidelines.
https://www.doctorsoftheworld. org.uk/SafeSurgeries-toolkit

STEP 3:
Contribute to the viral campaign. Download our social media pack with suggested Tweets, Facebook posts and graphics to spread the #stopsharing message far and wide. If you prefer to write your own posts, please always use the hashtag #StopSharing.

Suggested tweets

UK govt is using #NHS patients’ personal info to track down migrants. Sign this petition to make them #stopsharing https://you. 38degrees.org.uk/p/ stopsharingNHSinfo

.@ukhomeoffice is undermining #NHS staff by accessing patients’ personal info. Sign here to make them #stopsharing https://you. 38degrees.org.uk/p/ stopsharingNHSinfo

UK govt is accessing NHS patients’ personal info, making ppl scared to see a dr. Sign here, make them #stopsharing https://you. 38degrees.org.uk/p/ stopsharingNHSinfo

#NHS staff stand against @ukhomeoffice accessing their patients’ personal info. Sign here to make them #stopsharing https://you. 38degrees.org.uk/p/ stopsharingNHSinfo

Suggested Facebook posts
The UK government is accessing NHS patients’ personal info, such as their addresses, to track down and deport migrants. NHS staff have not been consulted about this at all, even though patient confidentiality is essential for us to do our job. Sign this petition and tell them to #stopsharing!
https://you.38degrees.org.uk/ p/stopsharingNHSinfo

The UK government is accessing NHS patients’ personal info, such as their addresses, to track down undocumented migrants. This is making people in urgent need, such as pregnant women and cancer sufferers, too scared to see a doctor. Sign this petition and tell them to #stopsharing!
https://you.38degrees.org.uk/ p/stopsharingNHSinfo

The UK government is accessing #NHS patients’ personal info, such as their addresses, to track down undocumented migrants. This is totally unacceptable and it affects us all – if the NHS is already sharing vulnerable people’s details with the government, how do we know this practice will not spread to other patients? Sign this petition and tell them to #stopsharing!
https://you.38degrees.org.uk/ p/stopsharingNHSinfo

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The Independent has revealed that thousands of asylum seekers and migrants have been wrongly denied NHS healthcare, in some cases being refused treatment despite suffering from life-threatening conditions such as cancer and heart disease. Despite NHS guidelines that state no one should be refused urgent or immediately necessary treatment because they cannot pay, undocumented migrants with urgent care needs have been refused treatment by hospitals. In other cases, asylum-seekers who have the right to free healthcare have been wrongly charged for hospital treatment, sometimes up to thousands of pounds each. You can read the findings here.