GDPR Implementation in the Health Sector - Dr Edward Dove Advises UK Working Group on Joint Action
Sat 17 October 2020
Dr Edward Dove of Edinburgh Law School has been invited to join the UK Working Group that’s participating in the European Commission’s Joint Action on Data and Health.
Join Action addresses differences in national General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) implementation in the health sector, including in the European Health Data Space (EHDS) and health data use. Dove will be providing specialist knowledge exchange in this field during regular meetings and presentations in the lead up to launching Joint Action.
One of the priorities set out in the European Commission’s mandate in 2020 is the creation of a EHDS, which would foster the exchange, and sharing of health data in Europe - which will in turn support the delivery of primary care, as well as the development of new treatments, medicines, medical devices and services. This would help meet the needs of different users and actors, such as healthcare providers, researchers, private companies and policy makers - whilst simultaneously protecting citizens data.
The Commission is currently working with the Member States and stakeholders to define the best governance structure and set up the appropriate infrastructure for the EHDS. Additionally, some existing regulatory gaps regarding Member States implementation of the GDPR for the secondary use of data are being addressed. As part of this, the UK are participating in Work Packages which aim to look at the frameworks around data sharing and understanding citizens attitudes towards data sharing and building trust.
As part of the UK Working Group, I’ll be providing expert advise and meeting fortnightly in the lead-up to the Joint Action, which is planned to launch at the beginning of March 2021.