Data protection information for patients in England with type 2 diabetes

People who are at least 55 years old, have type 2 diabetes and have not had a heart attack or stroke might be able to join ASCEND PLUS. They are identified by a computer search of their NHS records held by NHS England.

To send potentially eligible people an invitation letter, their name, address and postcode are passed securely to Paragon Customer Communications (and Atos IT Services UK Limited who provide computer systems and support for Paragon Customer Communications) by NHS England. Paragon Customer Communications destroy the data they hold about people invited to join ASCEND PLUS within 30 days of sending the invitation letter and cannot use these details for any other purpose.

This process has support from the Health Research Authority (HRA) who followed advice from the Confidentiality Advisory Group (an independent body which provides expert advice on the use of confidential patient information).

If you do not want to hear about the ASCEND PLUS study, you can tell NHS England. If you are not able to access the NHS England website you can contact the ASCEND PLUS team. The team will complete the form on the NHS England website on your behalf and will not record your details in the University of Oxford database.

You can also choose whether the NHS uses your data for research and planning.