Health data is among the most sensitive information a person can share. With growing cyber threats and fragmented records across multiple systems, protecting that information is more critical than ever. Blockchain technology is now emerging as one of the strongest solutions for creating transparency, security and patient empowerment across healthcare systems.
Why Health Data Needs a Stronger Security Model
Traditional digital health systems store patient information in centralised databases, which are vulnerable to hacking or manipulation.
According to the World Economic Forum, global healthcare data breaches have more than doubled since 2020, exposing millions of records each year and highlighting the inadequacy of central storage systems (World Economic Forum, 2023).
The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) states that data protection in healthcare demands “integrity, confidentiality and availability,” underscoring the need for technologies that minimise unauthorised access and loss of trust (ICO Security Guidance, 2025).
Solution:
Blockchain’s decentralised and tamper‑resistant design directly addresses these weaknesses. Each record is encrypted, verified by a network of participants and permanently recorded on a distributed ledger. This means no hidden edits, deleted files or single points of failure.
How Blockchain Works in Healthcare
At its simplest, blockchain is a shared digital ledger that records transactions chronologically and immutably. Once data is added, it cannot be changed without a verified network consensus.
In healthcare, rather than storing actual patient data on the blockchain, a cryptographic hash (an irreversible reference code) acts as a timestamped proof that data exists and has not been altered. This ensures privacy while providing proof of authenticity.
The Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) highlights that blockchain enables verifiable data provenance and interoperability between systems that traditionally could not communicate effectively (IET – Blockchain in Healthcare, 2024).
Oracle also notes that blockchain “creates a continuous audit trail of healthcare transactions,” helping to trace data movement while simplifying compliance with GDPR and other privacy regulations (Oracle UK Blockchain in Healthcare, 2025).
Data Provenance and Traceability
A major strength of blockchain lies in its ability to track exactly where data came from, how it has been used and who accessed it. This concept, called data provenance, is crucial for upholding trust between patients, clinicians and researchers.
The Journal of the British Blockchain Association describes how blockchain frameworks can link electronic health records (EHRs) with distributed ledgers, creating audit trails for every transaction while maintaining confidentiality.
The 2025 study by Nagaraj Segar and Vijayarajan Vijayan (Vellore Institute of Technology, India) demonstrated a scalable blockchain‑EHR model using hybrid encryption (AES‑256 and RSA ‑ ECC) that improved patient data security and reduced vulnerability to breaches (JBBA, Vol. 8, Issue 2, 2025).
The research tested the model using more than 5,000 records from the publicly available MIMIC‑III dataset and showed a 45 per cent increase in processing efficiency while maintaining full cryptographic protection (JBBA, 2025 – doi 10.31585/jbba‑8‑2‑4‑2025).
Real‑Time Consent and Patient Control
One of the main reasons blockchain excites clinicians and patients alike is its ability to manage consent dynamically. Instead of signing static forms, patients can give, monitor or withdraw permission for data sharing at any time.
The BlockMed Pro framework, presented by Dr Burhan Ahmed (MBBS, MRCGP, DPD) in 2025, builds on this concept by enabling “patient‑controlled access and transparent audit trails” through smart contracts that log every action on the chain (Blockchain in Healthcare – BlockMed Pro for BBA Forum, 2025).
Patients using the BlockMed Pro platform can:
- Retrieve NHS records securely via integration with Subject Access Request systems.
- Review who has viewed or requested their data.
- Revoke consent instantly and have that change recorded immutably.
- Earn fair compensation when anonymised datasets are licensed for research, ensuring value returns directly to patients.
Real‑World Demonstration
Watch Dr Burhan Ahmed (MBBS, MRCGP, DPD) present the concept of decentralised patient data control at the BBA Forum July 2025.
The real‑time consent and empowerment model sets a benchmark for how blockchain can support ethical data economies in the NHS and beyond.
Strengthening Cybersecurity and Privacy
Blockchain isn’t just a new kind of record‑keeping system; it also strengthens resilience against cybercrime. Because every block in the chain contains a cryptographic signature linked to the previous one, unauthorised alteration becomes nearly impossible.
The hybrid encryption method (AES‑256 with RSA/ECC) from the 2025 JBBA study significantly reduced encryption overhead by 30 per cent compared with legacy systems, while improving scalability for high‑transaction NHS environments.
In addition, permissioned blockchain networks restrict system participation to verified healthcare providers, reducing the attack surface typical of open networks.
Empowering Patients Through Transparency
The ultimate goal of blockchain in healthcare is to restore control to the people whose data fuels innovation. Patients can trace how their information contributes to medical research, audit how it is used and even gain economic returns or improved care access when data sharing is ethical and transparent.
Consensys describes this as “patient‑centred data sovereignty”, a shift from institutional data ownership to individual control (Consensys Healthcare Use Cases, 2025).
This decentralised approach mirrors NHS information‑governance principles: ensuring patient consent, secure access and accountability at every step.
Final Thought
Blockchain cannot solve every data challenge in healthcare, but it offers a foundation of trust that modern digital systems desperately need.
By combining tamperproof traceability with real-time consent and decentralised security, technologies like BlockMed Pro and other academic models present a credible pathway to safer, more inclusive health data ecosystems.
When used conscientiously with transparency, regulation and patient empowerment at its core, blockchain could redefine how the NHS and global healthcare systems protect and honour the integrity of personal data.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Can de‑identified data be re‑identified? (GDPR limits)
It can happen. If pseudonymised data still contains indirect clues about people, they could be identified when combined with other information. True anonymisation removes those links completely and falls outside GDPR rules. The ICO advises regular risk assessments and technical controls like encryption and auditing to reduce any chance of re-identification (ICO, 2025).
How is blockchain used to secure and empower your health data?
Blockchain creates a secure, chronological ledger for health records.
– Every data access is logged and verifiable.
– Patients can view or revoke consent instantly.
– Information is encrypted and distributed across trusted nodes, reducing tampering risk.
According to IET (2024), this structure solves fragmentation and builds interoperability across care systems, while BlockMed Pro adds real‑time consent and audit trails.
How does BlockMed Pro use blockchain to protect my data?
BlockMed Pro recordeseach consent and data transaction via smart contracts on blockchain, ensuring that:
– consent is transparent and reversible;
– every access request is audited;
– shared data is anonymised; and
– users receive payment automatically through tokenised rewards.
These controls enhance GDPR accountability and patient ownership of data (Dr Burhan Ahmed – BBA Forum 2025; BlockMed Pro Whitepaper 2025).
