## Introduction

This guidance document is for use by applicants who are completing application forms for submission to the Public Benefit and Privacy Panel for Health and Social Care (HSC-PBPP). The HSC-PBPP undertakes information governance scrutiny of requests to access NHSScotland (NHSS)- or NHS Central Register (NHSCR)-originated data for a variety of purposes. You should read the Introduction section in full before beginning to complete your application form. You should refer to the Completing the Application Form section whilst filling out your application form.

Your application form (and supporting evidence) is your opportunity to explain your study, project, audit or other piece of work (your 'proposal') in detail, to show that it is a carefully considered, well-designed piece of work which will be of demonstrable value to society and will safeguard the privacy rights of those whose information it seeks to use. Please be aware that those reviewing the application are Information Governance leads from NHSS who will not have an intimate knowledge of your proposal, nor an in-depth knowledge of your subject and its background.

Full information about the panel (for applicants, members of the public, and participants in the panel process) is available from the HSC-PBPP website .

## When is an application appropriate?

An application to HSC-PBPP is primarily for the secondary use of individual-level administrative health data, collected by NHSS in the course of normal patient care. If your application is for the use of NHSS data for direct patient care , please contact your local NHS Board Information Governance team for advice before completing an application, as it is likely that HSC-PBPP application will not be required.

You must complete an application if your proposal requires any NHSS originated data relating to individuals, derived from information relating to individuals, or of a sensitive nature. Examples are:

- • to administrative health data for a purpose other than direct patient care. • to administrative health data for a purpose other than direct patient care.
- • of administrative health data (except within Public Health Scotland (PHS) or NHS National • of administrative health data (except within Public Health Scotland (PHS) or NHS National Services Scotland (NSS) where Standard Operating Procedures are followed to assess and mitigate risk).
- • of administrative health data to administrative data from other sectors. • of administrative health data to administrative data from other sectors.
- • of administrative health data to primary data collected by researchers with or without • of administrative health data to primary data collected by researchers with or without consent.
- • of any of these data outside NHSS. • of any of these data outside NHSS.
- • sensitive NHS Organisation data. • sensitive NHS Organisation data.
- • of administrative data that have been collected and stored for purposes other than direct • of administrative data that have been collected and stored for purposes other than direct individual patient care. Examples of administrative health data include the Scottish Morbidity Records and similar data held by PHS or NHS NSS.
- • without consent to data held in individual patients' clinical records to be used for research • without consent to data held in individual patients' clinical records to be used for research either linked or unlinked.

You may complete an application for: