Assessment redaction is the removal of all identifying data from a psychiatrist’s write-up. Mental health data is special-category under UK GDPR Art. 9. anonym.plus does it on your machine. The clinical reasoning stays, but the patient is no longer named.
When this applies
You need to send an assessment for a second opinion or a teaching file. Names, dates, and contact lines must come out before it goes anywhere.
How anonym.plus handles it
- Open the document in anonym.plus on your own device.
- Local OCR lifts text from any scanned page.
- It marks names, dates, addresses, and ID numbers.
- Check each flag and keep the diagnostic wording intact.
- Swap each value for a steady label, or hide it.
- Store the cleaned copy. The source stays on your machine.
What you need to provide
- The assessment file (PDF, DOCX, TXT, or scan).
- An operator: Replace, Redact, or Mask.
- Optional: a name map for later re-linking.
Patient data entity types detected
| Category | anonym.plus entity type | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Patient name | PERSON | Helen Park → [PATIENT_1] |
| Birth date | DATE_TIME | DOB 14/09/1988 → [DATE] |
| NHS number | NHS_NUMBER | NHS 943 476 5670 → [NHS_NO] |
| Address | LOCATION | 44 Birch Lane → [ADDRESS] |
| Phone | PHONE_NUMBER | +44 7700 900190 → [PHONE] |
| Record ID | MEDICAL_RECORD_NUMBER | MRN 71902 → [MRN] |
Compliance achieved
- Removes special-category identifiers under UK GDPR Art. 9 & DPA 2018.
- On-device only, so no cloud processor contract is required.
- Drafts are kept safe with AES-256-GCM.
- Anonymisation assessed per ICO Anonymisation Code and UK GDPR Recital 26.
Anonymise psychiatric assessments offline — see plans & start free →
Limitations & cautions
UK GDPR also asks that no leftover detail could re-identify the person. The tool clears named identifiers. A rare diagnosis in a small area can still hint at identity, so review free text carefully.
Frequently asked questions
What identifiers should I remove from a psychiatric assessment?
Names, contact details, NHS number, dates, small geographic units, and any unique reference. Under UK GDPR Art. 9 and the ICO Anonymisation Code, the motivated-intruder test applies — remove anything a determined reader could use to re-identify the patient.
Will the diagnosis still read clearly?
Yes. Replace puts a fixed label where each identifier was. The clinical narrative still flows and no longer points to a real patient.
Is anything sent to a server?
No. Every step happens on your own computer. The file is never uploaded.