Capacity-planning anonymisation is the removal of personal information from occupancy and flow files. Much of the bed-occupancy and flow reporting an NHS body sends onward rests on directions made under s.259 of the Health and Social Care Act 2012, which can require organisations to provide information for the health service. Once your own working copy is truly anonymous, it leaves scope under Recital 26. anonym.plus does this on a local device and keeps the bed and timing detail usable.
When this applies
Flow files track each admission, the bed, and the staff on shift, feeding both local demand modelling and the mandatory returns s.259 directions can require. To model demand or share with planners beyond that mandatory flow, you can anonymise the working copy and drop the compliance burden.
How anonym.plus handles it
- Open the file in anonym.plus on a local device.
- It scans patient, staff, bed, and timestamp fields.
- Turn the reversible map off so no key is kept.
- Shift the times so flow gaps and trends survive.
- Swap each person for a non-reversible label.
- Save the result. The source never leaves your machine.
What you need to provide
- The file (CSV, JSON, or EPR export).
- Replace, with the map off for full anonymity.
- A time-shift option to keep occupancy curves.
Patient data entity types detected
| Category | anonym.plus entity type | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Patient | PERSON | admission: O. Okafor → [PATIENT_n] |
| Staff | PERSON | shift lead: RN Vidal → [STAFF_n] |
| Dates | DATE_TIME | admit 13:20 → shifted [TIME] |
| Location | LOCATION | Bed 8, Ward C → [BED] |
| Record IDs | MEDICAL_RECORD_NUMBER | encounter NHS No. → [ENCOUNTER] |
| Staff ID | ID | login rvidal → [USERNAME] |
Compliance achieved
- True anonymity puts the records outside scope by UK GDPR Recital 26.
- Distinguishes a mandatory s.259, Health and Social Care Act 2012 data-provision direction from a separate, anonymised internal analysis.
- Clears patient and staff names while bed and timing stay.
- On-device work keeps the export under your organisation’s control.
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Limitations & cautions
Bed and timing detail is usually safe, but a rare admission at an odd hour on a small ward can re-identify after names go. Shift the times, coarsen rare cells, and keep no key before you treat the result as anonymous.
Frequently asked questions
Does anonymising this data affect mandatory NHS reporting?
No. Section 259 of the Health and Social Care Act 2012 lets a direction require an organisation to provide specified information for the health service, and that mandatory flow is unaffected. Anonymising a separate working copy for your own demand modelling is an additional, optional step, not a substitute for a mandatory return.
Do the flow curves survive?
Yes. Shifting times by a steady offset keeps the gaps, so occupancy and demand curves still hold.
Anonymous or pseudonymous?
Keep a key and it stays in scope. Turn the key off and, with low residual risk, Recital 26 takes it out of scope entirely.