Understanding doctors' practice

We are going to start using some information about doctors' practice that is held by the NHS and is largely in the public domain. The aim is to improve the way we work and help us send you information that is most relevant to your practice.

We are telling you about this so that you know how data about you will be used.

What data are we collecting?

Initially the NHS data we will use cover doctors working in England and Wales. The data include: the name of your employing trust and employing hospital, your specialty and grade and your NHS email address. In support of our revalidation work, the interface will also provide a list of NHS Responsible Officers. We will also collect your date of birth as this helps ensure the right data are linked to the correct doctor. All our data are held securely.

Over time, we plan to work with other parts of the NHS and the independent sector to collect the same information.

Since last year, we have also been contacting doctors directly to ask them for background information about their practice. This will become an annual requirement.

Why are we collecting this information?

We know that doctors work in all kinds of settings and across many different specialties, but we need better data about the diversity of medical practice in the UK. This will help us make sure that our policy making and guidance is relevant for doctors in all kinds of practice and that the training curricula we approve are preparing young doctors for future practice.

If you would like to know more about our work with the NHS, or would like to receive a full description of the data, please contact our Information Policy Manager, Andrew Ledgard.