A new data extraction system will provide fast access to millions of practice-held patient records for planners and researchers, it has been announced.

A formal notice was issued to practices this week, informing them that data collection will begin. Developers at NHS Digital say that patients can opt out of the new collection system, which promises to keep data pseudonymised. The action has been taken after the pandemic led to a huge increase in the use of practice data for monitoring and studying the spread of the COVID-19 virus.

Two GP organisations, the Royal College of GPs and the British Medical Association, said they were “broadly supportive” of the new system – which should reduce administrative burdens on practices. They said: “We will continue to work closely with NHS Digital to ensure there are appropriate safeguards in place as to how the data collected under this new Data Protection Notice is used and to support the evolution of NHS Digital’s trusted research environment in order to minimise the need to disseminate data to researchers.”

Leading researchers welcomed the development. NHS Digital chief executive Sarah Wilkinson said: “General Practice data is particularly rich and valuable because many illnesses are treated predominantly in primary care. We want to ensure that this data is made available for use in planning NHS services and in clinical research, but it is critical that we do this in such a way that patient confidentiality and trust is prioritised and never compromised.”

Chief Medical Officer Professor Chris Whitty said: “The health and care system is increasingly governed by data, which has proved its worth throughout the pandemic. Better access to primary care data will give the NHS the ability to make the best use nationally of the richly-valuable and high-quality data that is collected in every GP practice.”

Dr Peter Short, a retired GP who advises NHS Digital, said: “When building this, we’ve listened to the GP representatives to ensure that professional concerns and needs are met. This collection allows GPs to be confident that patient data is being appropriately processed, maintained and utilised, while reducing the burden of data requests on already busy GP practices.”