Your medical records

The government are planning to sneak through the plan that would allow private companies to buy our personal medical data. But together we could stop it.

The scheme’s called Care.data. 38 Degrees members helped block it a few months ago. But now NHS managers are trying again to push through the same, pro-privatisation plan. They’ve not addressed any of the concerns about privatisation. Instead they’re hoping to dodge public concern by doing a stealth roll-out, a few areas at a time.

To stop these plans again, a huge number of us would need to join together. So should we launch a campaign to stop our health data falling into private hands? Click here to vote:

Yes
No

But sadly the current plan offers this valuable data to corporations. That’s a breach of our privacy – private companies could see mental health treatments, if we had cancer, and any medications we’re on.  It’s also a dangerous boost to privatisation – giving corporations data which will help them take over more of the NHS.

Together we can fix their plans now, before it’s too late. And there are two key ways 38 Degrees members could have maximum impact:

1. Sound the alarm nationally and use our power in numbers to stop these plans in their tracks. We can spread the story to let people know and focus our energy on stopping the scheme in the pilot areas.
2. Block the rollout on the ground:
   • Enable people who live in the affected areas to opt out of the scheme (it was was this tactic that stopped their plans last time). There’s a website which makes this easy, and is ready to go.
   • Work with 38 Degrees members on the ground to let as many people as possible know about the threat of private companies and spread the news with leafleting, adverts & media attention.

So what do you think? Should we launch a campaign now? If enough 38 Degrees members say ‘YES’ we can launch a campaign straight away.

Yes
No

Allowing private companies, like Serco, to access our data is part of the drip, drip privatisation of our NHS that 38 Degrees members are so keen to stop. That’s why we’ve worked together to keep Care.data out of the hands of the corporations before – and why we could have a big impact together again.

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