Google wins a controversial data deal with the NHS to develop a new app

Google has agreed a five-year deal with one of the largest NHS trusts to handle the medical records of up to 1.6million people. The tech giant's secretive DeepMind health business will use the data to help develop a mobile app they claim could save 10,000 lives a year. In 2017 it will launch a warning system for acute kidney problems and blood poisoning at three London hospitals, although its'Streams' app will also include test results, medical history and an instant messaging service. But it is hugely controversial because the Royal Free London NHS Trust has agreed that DeepMind needs to be given all patient data to make it work. This is believed to include patients' names, ages, and complete medical histories, including whether they had been diagnosed with HIV, depression, suffered from drug or alcohol addiction, or had an abortion.