Royal Free NHS Trust that handed over private patient details to Google says they had 'implied' permission

The NHS shares patient data with 1,500 outside organisations including Google and doesn't ask first because it is'not practical', it was revealed today. Private firms including computer giants and consultancy agencies are among those who are being supplied with the confidential records. Only this week the Royal Free NHS Trust in London revealed that it had passed on medical files of up to 1.6million patients to a Google subsidiary to develop an app. This included highly personal details such as whether patients had been diagnosed with HIV, suffered from depression or had ever undergone an abortion. Under Government rules drawn up in 2013, staff do not have to obtain patients' prior consent as long as the information does not include names and is being used to improve care.