Data (Use and Access) Act 2025: what care providers need to consider

June 30th 2025

The Data (Use and Access) Act 2025 became law in June, introducing wide-ranging reforms to how personal data is used and protected across the UK. The Act affects all organisations that process personal data—including adult social care providers.

To help care services understand what’s changing, Digital Care Hub has published a dedicated briefing explaining how the Act applies to adult social care and what providers can do to prepare.

What’s in the Act?

For adult social care providers, the key change is a new legal duty on the government to set information standards for health and social care IT systems (Section 121 of the Act). These standards are intended to improve interoperability, making it easier to share data securely across systems and settings. Once introduced, the standards will become mandatory, and data system suppliers who fail to comply may face enforcement action. Care providers will need to ensure their systems meet the specified standards and that they work only with compliant suppliers.

Recommended actions for care providers

Although many parts of the Act will require further guidance before they come into force, there are steps providers can take now to start preparing:

1. Review your digital systems: Start assessing whether your care management or record-keeping software is capable of meeting future interoperability requirements.
2. Engage with IT suppliers: Ask your system providers how they plan to comply with the forthcoming standards under Section 121.
3. Update data protection policies: Reflect changes to subject access rights, internal complaints procedures, and new lawful bases in your data protection documentation.
4. Continue using the Data Security and Protection Toolkit (DSPT): Although not mentioned in the Act, DSPT remains the main framework for demonstrating good data and cyber practice in adult social care.
5. Prepare for regulatory guidance: Look out for technical standards, timetables, and enforcement guidance from the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) and NHS England.

Find out more

You can read our full briefing on the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025 here.

We’ll continue to update our guidance as more information becomes available. Register for our newsletter.