Anonymous summary data on shielding patients published

Anonymous summary data on patients who have been identified as being on the Covid-19 shielded patient list (SPL) has been published.

The SPL is a specific subset of patients judged to be at highest risk should they contract coronavirus, identified by the chief medical officer.

The open dataset includes regional and local data to allow for analysis, modelling and planning to take place to aid the response to the coronavirus pandemic.

The open data files and dashboard contain the following analysis:

• A count of living patients that are classified as being on the SPL by CCG of residence, broken down by age band and gender
• A count of living patients that are classified as being on the SPL by local authority of residence, broken down by age band and gender

Identifying patients for inclusion in the SPL required interrogation and analysis of multiple national datasets collected by NHS Digital.

These sets will be updated frequently and NHS Digital statistical teams will build the granularity and potential for insight in subsequent releases.

The sharing of information has been ramped up during the coronavirus pandemic. In April 2020, NHS Digital announced additional information will be automatically added to the Summary Care Record of any patient who has not expressed a preference that information isn’t shared.

The information was made available to a wider group of authorised, registered and regulated health and care professionals so that clinicians can quickly assess and treat patients, especially during the coronavirus outbreak.