Reconciliation anonymisation is the removal of patient and staff IDs from a medicines reconciliation sheet. It meets DPA 2018 and the NHS Code of Confidentiality. anonym.plus runs locally and keeps the home and inpatient columns that drive the comparison.
When this applies
A reconciliation sheet names the patient and the reconciling staff. It sets the home list beside the inpatient one. For safety teaching, you clear the IDs only.
How anonym.plus handles it
- Open the sheet in anonym.plus on your device.
- It finds patient and staff names plus NHS number.
- Dates and contacts get flagged across the entry.
- Confirm the flags; the medicines stay as non-IDs.
- Swap them so the comparison view still reads clearly.
- Save the clean copy; the source stays on your machine.
What you need to provide
- The sheet (DOCX, PDF, or EPR export).
- An operator (Replace keeps the comparison readable).
- Optional staff map for safety-event review.
Patient data entity types detected
| Category | anonym.plus entity type | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Names | PERSON | patient header → [PATIENT] |
| Names | PERSON | reconciler → [STAFF] |
| Record IDs | MEDICAL_RECORD_NUMBER | MRN → [MRN] |
| Dates | DATE_TIME | admit 14 Mar → [DATE] |
| Location | LOCATION | Bed 12 → [BED] |
| Contact | PHONE_NUMBER | GP tel → [PHONE] |
Compliance achieved
- Meets DPA 2018 & NHS Code of Confidentiality for reuse.
- Keeps the home and inpatient columns, which are not patient identifiers.
- Offline work keeps the sheet inside your site.
Anonymise reconciliation records offline — see plans & start free →
Limitations & cautions
These sheets set two columns side by side, so check that both are scanned. The medicines stay and are not treated as identifiers. Staff initials in the sign-off line are easy to miss yet name a person, so confirm that column too.
Frequently asked questions
Will the before-and-after view survive?
Yes. The home and inpatient columns stay. Only the IDs around them change, so the comparison is still useful for safety teaching.
Are the medicines treated as identifiers?
No. Drug names are clinical content, not personal data in themselves, so they stay in both columns.
Can I clean a batch of sheets?
Yes. Point anonym.plus at a folder for steady local work with no upload.