We live in an increasingly connected world and it makes sense for information to be shared digitally where possible for speed and ease of access.

When that information pertains to people’s personal medical records, it is understandable that there might be some misgivings among the general public about that happening, though.

NHS England is planning to bring together all the personal information held on patients by hospitals, GP surgeries and community agencies and not only link it together but share it with other relevant organisations.

This does make logistical sense in terms of building up a picture of how people use the health network, what kinds of agencies and services they access, and whether everything is running smoothly and efficiently.

There will always be worries, however, that no matter how secure the data systems are, there is always the opportunity for something to go wrong. We have seen many times in recent years how electronic defences have been breached by the malicious or there has been a leak due to human error.

But that does not mean we have to abide by this if we don’t like it – and there hangs another issue. Anyone is, in fact, allowed to opt-out of having their information shared in this way. But watchdogs say that this option has not been communicated to people as much as they would like.

Anyone who does want to opt-out must do so at their local GP surgery before March, which does not give much time. For those who don’t, it is to be hoped that for something as delicate as personal information pertaining to patients, the NHS will have the most robust security systems possible in place.