De-identifying a case formulation is the removal of personal identifiers from a clinician’s working theory of a client. The Data Protection Act 2018 and the NHS Code of Confidentiality govern these records. anonym.plus does the work on your machine, fully offline.
When this applies
You present a formulation at a peer consultation. The write-up names the client, family roles, and a workplace, which must be hidden first.
How anonym.plus handles it
- Open the file in anonym.plus on your device.
- Local OCR reads any scanned page.
- It flags client and family names plus the workplace.
- Review each flag and keep the analytic content.
- Replace each value with a label, or remove it.
- Save the clean write-up. The source stays local.
What you need to provide
- The file (PDF, DOCX, TXT, or scan).
- An operator: Replace, Redact, or Mask.
- Optional: a key map for re-linking.
Patient data entity types detected
| Category | anonym.plus entity type | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Client | PERSON | Aaron Cole → [CLIENT_1] |
| Family role | PERSON | father Glen → [FAMILY_1] |
| Workplace | ORGANIZATION | Vista Foods Ltd → [EMPLOYER] |
| Date | DATE_TIME | Formulated 27/02/2026 → [DATE] |
| Phone | PHONE_NUMBER | +44 7911 100166 → [PHONE] |
| NHS number | NHS_NUMBER | NHS 640 250 1234 → [NHS_NO] |
Compliance achieved
- Strips identifiers under DPA 2018 & NHS Code of Confidentiality.
- Local only, so no cloud processor contract is needed.
- Drafts are protected with AES-256-GCM.
- Also meets UK GDPR Art. 9 for special-category health records.
Anonymise case formulations offline — see plans & start free →
Limitations & cautions
A formulation weaves rich personal context together. The tool removes named identifiers. You still judge whether the woven detail could point back to one client before a peer consultation.
Frequently asked questions
Can I present this at a peer consultation?
Yes, once de-identified. With identifiers stripped and DPA 2018 satisfied, the file may anchor a peer discussion safely.
Are family roles hidden?
Yes. A named parent, sibling, or partner is an identifier. The tool flags each so the client cannot be traced through family.
Is the file uploaded?
No. The app runs locally. Nothing is sent to a server.