Diagnostic letter de-identification is the removal of patient identifiers from the file. UK GDPR Art. 9 and the DPA 2018 govern health data. anonym.plus runs it on your device. The prose stays clear, but it names no one.
When this applies
A consultant letter suits a teaching file. The clinical story can stay, yet the name, the address, and the dates have to come out first.
How anonym.plus handles it
- Open the file (PDF, DOCX, or scan) on your machine.
- Local OCR reads scanned pages so printed text is caught.
- The tool flags names, dates, addresses, and phones.
- Review each flag and keep any clinical phrase.
- Replace each ID with a steady label, or remove it.
- Save the clean letter. The source stays with you.
What you need to provide
- The file (PDF, DOCX, TXT, or image scan).
- An operator: Replace (swap), Redact (remove), or Mask (partial).
- Optional: a name map for follow-up letters.
Patient data entity types detected
| Category | anonym.plus entity type | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Names | PERSON | Beatrice Lund → [PATIENT_1] |
| Dates | DATE_TIME | Dated 19/04/2026 → [DATE] |
| Record IDs | MEDICAL_RECORD_NUMBER | MRN 612077 → [MRN] |
| Location | LOCATION | 17 Maple Court, Oxford → [ADDRESS] |
| Contact | EMAIL_ADDRESS | b.lund@nhs.net → [EMAIL] |
| NHS Number | NHS_NUMBER | NHS 401 823 9065 → [NHS_NUMBER] |
Compliance achieved
- Anonymisation under UK GDPR Art. 9 & DPA 2018.
- Once truly anonymous, the file leaves UK GDPR scope under Recital 26.
- Assessed against the ICO motivated-intruder test.
- Working files are kept safe with AES-256-GCM.
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Limitations & cautions
A letter holds free text. The tool catches the listed identifier types. A rare detail in the body can still hint at a person, so read it once more before release.
Frequently asked questions
Will the letter still flow after the swap?
Yes. The Replace operator drops a steady label for each ID. The prose still reads as a letter and names no real person.
Are both sender and patient flagged?
Yes. The tool flags the patient and the addressee. You choose which party to hide and which to keep on the page.
Does it catch a postal address in the body?
Yes. Addresses are identifiers under UK GDPR. They are flagged wherever they appear, in the header or in the body text.