July 5, 2017

expert reaction to the first annual report from the DeepMind Health Independent Review Panel

In June 2016, DeepMind Health asked a number of individuals to form an Independent Review Panel in order to provide independent oversight of the company’s work with the NHS.

A briefing accompanied this roundup.

Mr Hetan Shah, Executive Director, The Royal Statistical Society (RSS), said:

“Data ethics is a critical area for the world we live in. I commend DeepMind Health for setting up an independent review panel which is unbound by non-disclosure agreements, has unfettered access, and its own budget. Other companies working with sensitive data should follow suit and set up governance structures to help advise and hold themselves to account. Indeed this Annual Report provides useful information to other companies about how the panel works, which can enable them to develop the model.

“It is good to see that the current panel is thinking about how it is constituted. We would suggest that in future there ought to be an open application process to join the panel, as a way of bringing the greatest diversity and talent to the group.”

Ms Nicola Perrin, Head of Understanding Patient Data, said:

“The creation of an Independent Review Panel is an indication of DeepMind’s commitment to be open to scrutiny. The Panel has clearly worked hard to demonstrate its independence and has not been afraid to ask critical questions and to challenge. Their wide-ranging report tackles important questions in a rigorous way, and sets out an agenda for further examination.

“The ICO concluded this week that innovation and data protection can progress together for the benefit of patients.  As new digital technologies are introduced in healthcare, there will be many challenges to address but transparency and strong public engagement will be essential to build public confidence.  The Review Panel has a significant role to help develop best practice.

“New uses of data have huge potential to deliver better care and the NHS will inevitably have to partner with companies to realise these opportunities. The Review Panel’s proposal to examine DeepMind’s business model will be very important to build understanding about the need for legitimate commercial access to data for patient benefit.”

Ms Aisling Burnand, Chief Executive, Association of Medical Research Charities (AMRC), said:

“New digital technologies offer real potential to provide better clinical care. This report is a welcome addition to the debate about the responsible use of patient data. Appropriate governance which is understood by all is vital and can be difficult to achieve as regulators often lag behind the technology.

“The idea outlined in the report of early engagement enabled by having a space, similar to the ‘sandpits’ established by the Research Councils, which would allow regulators, the Department of Health and tech providers to discuss complex data sharing issues at an early stage of product development is not only welcome but could speed the possibility of tech enabled solutions for patients.

“These issues are not unique to DMH. There must be clarity about the regulatory framework and we hope the Government and others will provide clearer guidance to enable new data-driven technologies to be introduced for patient benefit that inspire confidence.”

* ‘DeepMind Health Independent Review Panel Annual Report’ will be published online on Wednesday 5 July.

Declared interests

Ms Nicola Perrin: Is Head of Understanding Patient Data (UPD), which receives funding from Wellcome, the MRC, Department of Health, ESRC, and Public Health England. UPD are mentioned in the Panel’s report but were not involved in the review.

Ms Aisling Burnard: DeepMind hosted an event for AMRC in February, but other than that no conflicts of interest to declare.