The Breast and Cosmetic Implant Registry was set up following clear recommendations in the Keogh Review of the Regulation of Cosmetic Interventions, which was an independent report in the protection of people who have cosmetic surgery following issues caused by faulty Poly Implant Protheses (PIP) breast implants in 2010. NHS Scotland began participating in the registry in 2019, through direction from the Scottish Government.
The main aim of the registry is to be able to trace and inform affected patients in the event of any future recall of a failed implant. The registry will also allow the identification of possible trends and complications relating to specific implants.
In order to monitor and improve patient safety, a Breast and Cosmetic Implant Registry (BCIR) has been developed. It records the:
The registry provides the benefits of:
The Breast and Cosmetic Implant Registry is delivered by NHS England (formerly NHS Digital) on behalf of the NHS Scotland health boards. The registry is overseen by a steering group which includes representation from
The steering group provides expert advice on:
NHS England is supported by the relevant cosmetic and surgical professional groups:
Scottish Patient Data began being added to the registry in 2019 following a request (made under section 255(1) of the Health and Social Care Act 2012) from Scottish Government to join SDIIS to NHS England, formerly NHS Digital. This is the system which supports the outcomes and recommendations by the Keogh Review from 2010.
The following lawful bases are used to process personal data as part of the Breast and Cosmetic Implant Registry:
The data is held in the registry for the length of time which NHS Scotland remains part of the registry process and your implant care plan is in place.
The data used within the registry forms part of your health record, and will be kept by your health board in line with their Records Retention Policy. If you want to know what time period this is, you should contact your clinical team, or your local health board’s Data Protection Officer.
Data in the BCIR is restricted to NHS England supplier data centres within the UK; subject to Data Protection (2018) legislation.
No data will be transferred or processed outside of the UK.
Read further information about how the registry works and the security measures used.
Individuals have a number of rights set out in legislation to support them and ensure their information and privacy is protected securely. These rights, in relation to the registry are:
Not all rights apply all of the time. If you are concerned about the registry or how it is used you should discuss this with your clinical team, and/or the registry team. All requests are considered on a case-by-case basis.
You can raise any privacy and data protection concerns with the registry team, the NHS National Services Scotland Data Protection Officer (“NHS NSS DPO”) or the NHS England Data Protection Officer (“NHSE DPO”):
Email address: enquiries@nhsdigital.nhs.uk
Phone: 0300 303 5678
Email address: nss.dataprotection@nhs.scot
Data Protection Officer
Gyle Square
1 South Gyle Crescent
Edinburgh
EH12 9EB
E-mail address: england.dpo@nhs.net
Data Protection Officer
Delivery Directorate
NHS England
Quarry House
Quarry Hill
Leeds
LS2 7UE
If you are unhappy with the way in which your information is used, you should first raise this with your clinical team or health board or the registry team (contact details are above). If this does not resolve the issue and you will be able to make a formal complaint following the processes which the relevant body will make you aware of.
If you have already made a formal complaint to the relevant body and are not happy with the outcome, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO). The ICO is the supervisory authority responsible for data protection in the UK.
The Information Commissioner
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF
ICO main helpline number: 0303 123 1113
ICO Scotland office contact number: 0303 123 1115
Website: www.ico.org.uk
If you have any queries or concerns about the Breast and Cosmetic Implant Registry please contact the registry team by emailing enquiries@nhsdigital.nhs.uk or phoning 0300 303 5678.
Last updated:
07 October 2021