What the NHS can learn from the smartphone on data consent

In the run up to the introduction of the NHS care.data programme, there is an urgent need for a debate about what we, and our healthcare providers, mean by the term “consent”.

So far, the plans for care.data are ringing alarm bells, and for good reason. But we are becoming more and more comfortable with handling our own data when we use technology such as smart wristbands and apps that track our diets. If the NHS took heed of how this field is handling the difficult issue of personal privacy, it might have more success winning over a wary public.