Under the powers of the Health and Social Care Act 2012, the Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC) can, under certain circumstances, require Personal Confidential Data from GP practices without seeking patient consent.In a statement NHS England say...Confidential information from your medical records can be used by the NHS to improve the services offered so we can provide the best care for everyone.This information along with your postcode and NHS number but not your name, are sent to a secure system where it can be linked with other health information.This allows those planning NHS services or carrying out medical research to use information from different parts of the NHS in a way which does not identify you. more... See more text