patients had been given till the 23rd of this month to withdraw, with the system due to begin on the 1st of july. now, the government says it ll use the extra weeks to consult further. but it insists that a patient database is needed. data saves lives. it s as simple as that. we ve seen that in the pandemic, it s one of the lessons of the vaccine rollout. the gp data programme will strengthen this system and save lives. and patient data is, of course, owned by the patient. and we are absolutely determined to take people with us on this journey. we have therefore decided we will proceed with the important programme, but we will take some extra time, as we have conversed with stakeholders over the past couple of days. the implementation date will now be on the 1st of september and we will use this time to talk to patients, doctors, health charities and others to strengthen the plan, build a trusted research environment and ensure that data is accessed securely. for gps and the nhs more b