The national cancer registration scheme has been established for more than 50 years. Why is a patient information leaflet being distributed now for the first time?
In the past, it was assumed that the there was a sufficiently strong public interest justification to use health information for purposes other than direct patient care without consent. With the Data Protection Act, it was clear that there is a responsibility to inform patients about specific uses of health information for purposes such as cancer registration. Cancer Registries have taken responsibility for producing a standard national leaflet explaining the cancer registration scheme and for working with cancer networks and the Department of Health to ensure that in future the leaflet is made available to all cancer patients.
Related Questions
- The national cancer registration scheme has been established for more than 50 years. Why is a patient information leaflet being distributed now for the first time?
- The leaflet states that cancer registration is ‘allowed by law’. What is the legal basis for the national cancer registration scheme?
- What are the benefits of the national cancer registration scheme?
