The UK Government has introduced the Data Use and Access Bill to Parliament, highlighting its potential to improve public services.
The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) is sponsoring the bill, which is also aimed at boosting the national economy by an estimated £10 billion.
It said that key measures include cutting bureaucracy for police officers and making patient data more easily transferable across the NHS.
Technology Secretary Peter Kyle said: “Data is the DNA of modern life and quietly drives every aspect of our society and economy without us even noticing – from our NHS treatments and social interactions to our business and banking transactions.
“It has the enormous potential to make our lives better, boosting our National Health Service, cutting costs when we shop, and saving us valuable time.
“With laws that help us to use data securely and effectively, this bill will help us boost the UK’s economy, free up vital time for our frontline workers, and relieve people from unnecessary admin so that they can get on with their lives.”
Freeing police time
The aim of improving public services is one of three core objectives of the bill. It includes measures to free police officers from logging requirements considered unnecessary when accessing personal data to work on a case, such as when looking up a suspect or person of interest on the police database.
DSIT said this will free up to 1.5 million hours of police time and help to save around £42.8 million of taxpayers’ money every year.
Minister for Crime, Policing and Fire Dame Diana Johnson said: “It is vital police officers are able to dedicate their time to protecting the public on the beat, not in the office. Freeing up this valuable resource will see more officers out on our streets, making a real difference in fighting and solving crime.”
Healthcare info
The legislation will also provide for healthcare information – such as a patient’s pre-existing conditions, appointments and tests – to be more easily accessed in real time across all NHS trusts, GP surgeries and ambulance services, no matter what IT system they are using. It will require IT suppliers for the health and care sector to ensure their systems meet common standards to enable data sharing across platforms.
DSIT said this will free up 140,000 hours in NHS staff time every year, providing quicker care for patients and potentially saving lives.
Vin Diwakar, national director of transformation at NHS England, said: “This bill is a significant step in creating a more responsive and efficient healthcare system. As an NHS doctor myself, I know it is vital that NHS staff have quicker access to more accurate and comprehensive data, giving them more face-to-face time with patients who need it most.
“These changes will lay the foundations for patient information to flow safely, securely and seamlessly, which will improve clinical outcomes, make decision making more informed and speed up the delivery of care.”
Boost for growth
Another objective of the bill is to boost economic growth. This includes placing the National Underground Asset Register (NUAR) on a statutory footing, mandating that owners of underground infrastructure, such as water companies or telecoms operators, register their assets on the NUAR, which is a complete map of underground pipes and cables.
DSIT said that companies will know exactly where any underground asset is placed, reducing the risk of accidents on pipes and cables, making construction safer for workers and reducing the disruption caused by holes being dug up in the streets.
The department also cited measures to create the right conditions to support the future of open banking and the growth of new smart data schemes, models which allow consumers and businesses who want to safely share information about them with regulated and authorised third parties, to generate personalised market comparisons and financial advice to cut costs.
This will pave the way for the model to expand in sectors such as energy, which could give customers the ability to compare utility prices, find better deals, and reduce their energy use, as well as foster tech innovation and boost competition.
Easing lives
The third objective is to make people’s lives easier by simplifying important tasks such as renting a flat, starting work, or registering births and deaths.
The bill will legislate on digital verification services, so that companies providing tools for verifying identities will be able to get certified against the Government’s trust framework of standards, and receive a trust mark. They will be able to use the logo to show their digital verification services are approved by the new Office for Digital Identities and Attributes within DSIT.
This is forecast to boost the UK economy by £4.3 billion over the next decade.
DSIT said the bill will help make sure digital verification services are inclusive, secure and privacy-preserving, and will make it easier for people to know which services they can trust.
It will also support the modernisation of the registration of deaths in England and Wales from a paper based system to an electronic birth and death register, and enable registrations to be carried out over the phone rather than face-to-face.
A further measure will support researchers in accessing data held by online platforms so they can conduct robust and independent research into online safety trends.
