Close
Professor James Wilson鈥檚 research has been influential in maintaining trust in the use of confidential patient information in the NHS.
In 2020, Wilson was a member of the Ethics Advisory Board (EAB) for the NHS Covid-19 App. The EAB Chair confirms that 鈥淲ilson was the most influential member in crafting the ethical principles that we established鈥�, and explicitly acknowledges how Wilson鈥檚 research on public value and on public health ethics shaped the EAB principles. Wilson鈥檚 advice 鈥渟ignificantly influenced鈥� NDG鈥檚 decision to endorse the App, which had been downloaded over 20 million times by the end of 2020. 聽
In 2015 Wilson was invited to become an independent member of NHS Digital鈥檚 (NHSD鈥檚) Data Access Advisory Group (DAAG), which advised NHSD on how to maintain public trust in their data disseminations. The Chair of DAAG states that Wilson鈥檚 contribution was 鈥渃onsistently valuable鈥�, bringing 鈥渋ncreased rigour鈥�, and 鈥済reater attention to the achievement of public benefits鈥�, which 鈥渋mproved the protection of the confidentiality and privacy of millions of NHS patients鈥� records, without detriment to services.鈥澛�
In 2016, he was chosen as 鈥渁 leading academic in the ethics of data sharing鈥� to help NHSD to transition DAAG into a fully independent oversight group, the Independent Group Advising on the Release of Data (IGARD) and was IGARD鈥檚 ethicist (2017鈥�18). NHSD鈥檚 Chief Medical Officer estimated that the work Wilson did with IGARD to maintain public trust and improve the ability of NHS data to improve patient outcomes benefited 鈥渉undreds of thousands of patients.鈥澛�
In 2016, Wilson became the first philosopher to be appointed to the National Data Guardian鈥檚 (NDG) Panel, and in 2018 he joined the NDG鈥檚 Steering Group. Since then, he has represented NDG in national level meetings, and occasionally at Ministerial level meetings. His research on the concept of reasonable expectations shaped NDG鈥檚 introduction of a new Caldicott Principle in 2020 on informing giving, which now applies across the NHS. As NDG relates, she 鈥渟oon came to recognise that we had made an excellent decision in deciding, in general, to have an academic ethicist and philosopher on the panel and specifically, to recruit Wilson, due to the contributions that he has made individually鈥�.聽