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Few More Months, Please

The English care.data project that would create a countrywide database of medical records has been delayed due to concerns from patients and confusion on how to opt out of the program, the Nature News Blog reports.

The project is to collect patient medical records from English general practitioners to be stored in a centralized database that would, in the future, be opened up to medical researchers. Flyers about the program were supposed to be sent to each household, but the Nature News Blog says there have reports of people not receiving them

NHS England, the organization in charge of the scheme, has pushed back its rollout from April to the fall. “We have been told very clearly that patients need more time to learn about the benefits of sharing information and their right to object to their information being shared,” Tim Kelsey, national director for patients and information at NHS England, says in a statement. “That is why we are extending the public awareness campaign by an extra six months.”