Learn what the recent changes in GP patient data sharing with consented cohorts such as UK Biobank mean for you and your practice.
As you may be aware, UK Biobank is a non-profit charity providing the most complete and valuable source of health data for researchers worldwide.
As of 10 February 2026, the UK Government has published a data provision notice, allowing coded primary care data in England to be shared with consented cohorts like UK Biobank through NHS England, and removing the responsibility and liability from GPs.
This change will dramatically increase the power of UK Biobank’s dataset to advance the prevention, diagnosis, treatment and management of conditions handled by GPs. These include arthritis, asthma, dementia, depression, eczema, heart failure and impaired hearing or vision, all of which reduce quality of life, lead to time off work and put significant pressure on the NHS.
What this means for you as a GP
- No action is required from you or your practice team.
Sharing does include coded data such as diagnostic codes, test results and medication.
Sharing does not include free text or attachments/letters. - You are not responsible or legally liable to make the consented cohort GP data available – this falls to NHS England.
- Careful checks are in place to ensure confidentiality and data security.
Adding GP patient data will create a complete picture of the health of every participant. It will widen the scope, and therefore the effectiveness, of research enormously. I feel really excited at seeing what new research will uncover. I was diagnosed as autistic last year – now this information will go into my UK Biobank file so it will be possible for the first time to look at all the possible underlying and contributory factors.
Jane, UK Biobank participant
The integration of these data into UK Biobank will ensure that your patients – who have consented for these data to be shared – have their wishes respected and enable them to contribute to crucial research that has the potential to improve healthcare for all.
If you have any questions about this change, please contact [email protected]
Read our news story.
Reaction to the news
This is very exciting news as these GP data will help to transform understanding of diseases, and how to prevent and treat them. Researchers like me will be able to use the data to understand what’s really causing disease, and why some drugs work for some people and not others. We will solve so many major health challenges that affect us today, and we’ll do so because of this initiative to make these data available now.
Prof Liam Smeeth, Director of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, GP for the past 30 years
NHS England taking on the legal responsibility is very significant and GPs like me should now be really excited as finally researchers can properly study the diseases affecting the patients who walk through our doors every day. For too long we have been missing a vital piece of the data puzzle in our efforts to understand diseases like arthritis, asthma, depression and dementia that can have a huge impact on people’s daily lives.
Baroness Clare Gerada, practising GP, former Chair of the Royal College of General Practitioners
With its internationally respected managed access model and robust data protection, UK Biobank ensures this enhanced resource will drive innovation responsibly, attracting clinical trials and delivering real-world impact for patients at home and abroad.
Related content
Learn more about how UK Biobank collects primary care data, why it is important and what we do to protect our participants’ privacy.
This privacy notice explains to our participants how we collect, share and use the personal information which forms the UK Biobank resource.
The UK Government has published a data provision notice which paves the way for coded GP patient data in England to be shared with consented cohorts like UK Biobank.
Professor Sir Rory Collins, CEO and Principal Investigator of UK Biobank, outlines how access to de-identified GP data for all UK Biobank’s 500,000 volunteers will transform the database’s research potential overnight.