Immunisation-record redaction removes patient identifiers from a vaccination history while the vaccine, batch, dose, and site detail stays. Those are the fields the UKHSA Green Book, Immunisation against infectious disease, expects to be recorded for every dose given. Reusing them for coverage work is a public-health purpose, and DPA 2018 Schedule 1, Part 1, paragraph 3 is the condition that covers it. anonym.plus runs locally and keeps the schedule intact.
When this applies
Coverage studies and registries need accurate vaccine and schedule data, but the file carries the name, the date of birth, and the NHS number. On a child's file it also names the consenting adult, whose parental responsibility is defined by Children Act 1989 s.3.
How anonym.plus handles it
- Load the file into anonym.plus on your device.
- It finds the name, date of birth, and identifiers.
- Vaccine, batch, dose, and date fields stay (dates can be broadened).
- Black out or swap the confirmed personal data.
- Save the clean file on your device.
What you need to provide
- The vaccination record (PDF, DOCX, or registry export).
- A date-broaden option (month and year) where the study allows.
- An operator to suit the later use.
Patient data entity types detected
| Category | anonym.plus entity type | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Names | PERSON | patient name → [PATIENT] |
| Dates | DATE_TIME | DOB → [DOB] |
| NHS Number | UK_NHS | NHS 943 476 5919 → [NHS_NO] |
| Location | LOCATION | clinic address → [CLINIC] |
| Names | PERSON | administering nurse → [STAFF] |
| Contact | PHONE_NUMBER | guardian phone → [PHONE] |
Compliance achieved
- Keeps the vaccine, batch, dose, and site detail the UKHSA Green Book (Immunisation against infectious disease) expects for every dose given.
- Public-health reuse has its own condition: DPA 2018 Schedule 1, Part 1, paragraph 3 (public health).
- On a child's record the consenting adult is a data subject too — parental responsibility is defined by Children Act 1989 s.3, and a competent young person may consent under Gillick v West Norfolk and Wisbech AHA [1986] AC 112.
- Notifiable-disease duties under the Health Protection (Notification) Regulations 2010 attach to the source record, not to the anonymised copy.
- Meets DPA 2018 and the NHS Confidentiality Code of Practice for reuse.
- Offline work keeps the record inside the provider.
Anonymise immunisation records offline — see plans & start free →
Limitations & cautions
On a child's record the parent or guardian details are personal data and must go as well. Vaccination dates are often needed exactly, because schedule intervals are the point of the analysis — broaden them only when your study allows it, or you destroy the interval calculations you came for.
Frequently asked questions
Are guardian details on a child's record removed?
Yes. The adult who consented is named because Children Act 1989 s.3 defines who holds parental responsibility, and that name is their personal data, not the child's. It is flagged for removal alongside the child's own identifiers.
What about a young person who consented themselves?
That happens under the principle from Gillick v West Norfolk and Wisbech AHA [1986] AC 112, where a young person with sufficient understanding can consent to their own treatment. The file then names the young person rather than a parent, and the same de-identification applies.
Can I keep the batch numbers?
Yes. Vaccine type, batch, dose, and site all stay. They are needed for safety follow-up and coverage analysis, and none of them identifies a patient — a batch number identifies a manufacturing lot, not a person.