This guide tells you what to expect from your general practice (GP) and how you can help them, so you get the best from the National Health Service (NHS). 

OpenSAFELY is a secure data analytics platform that enables timely access to pseudonymised patient data for research and planning purposes. It was developed by a team at the Bennett Institute for Applied Data Science and has support from the BMA, RCGP, and privacy campaigners med Confidential.

All GP practices are legally required to activate access, in line with the recent announcement of new legal directions governing use of the OpenSAFELY analytics platform. An easy read version that describes the service for a wider audience has been added. 

The national DPIA has been reviewed as accurate by the Joint GP IT Committee of the BMA and RCGP (representing GP practices), and by NHS England.  It incorporates the full end-to-end activities of the service and associated risks, covering the GP practice’s limited role, alongside NHS England’s governance and operational functions.