Controversial plans to create a central database of patients' records are being re-launched

The Blackburn with Darwen Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) will send out the 'fair processing' forms at the end of the month - the documents that members of the public have to sign to opt out of the Care.data scheme.

It also emerged that work has continued rolling out the project in four pilot areas during a communications black out in the run up to the general election.

Blackburn, along with Somerset, West Hampshire and Leeds, are guinea pigs for the plan - although the CCG says no data will be shared until National Data Guardian Dame Fiona Caldicott, who was appointed last November, is satisfied with the programme’s proposals and safeguards.

Russ McLean, chairman of the Pennine Lancashire Patient Voices Group, said: "I think this is being brought in by stealth.

"The people of Blackburn and Darwen have not been told they are taking part in it yet.

"We were promised there would be engagement but this is being implemented by the back door.

"We just cannot make an informed decision unless we have the full information.

"GPs are also up in arms about this and I will be raising hell about this in Blackburn and Darwen.

"Governments have an alarming frequency to lose data and is it going to be used by insurance companies to higher or lower premiums?"

Originally rolled out in 2014, Care.data was mooted as a means of improving patient care within the NHS by connecting data from general practitioners, hospitals and other medical centres.

But critics claim the scheme is also being used to allow businesses, such as insurers or private health providers, to profit from personal data and that instructions to opt out of Care.data have even been ignored by health groups.

There are also fears that fast-food giant McDonalds could justify a case for accessing data because of obesity measures, while e-cigarette manufacturers could target smokers under what has been dubbed the ‘McDonald’s clause’ – “for the promotion of health”.

Phil Booth, coordinator of medConfidential, a lobby group that opposes the move, said: "It beggars belief that Care.data should be restarted before the serious outstanding problems with the scheme have been fixed and, just as importantly, been seen to be fixed.

"The shambolic mess that Care.data has become must be cleared up before another single patient is contacted."

Earlier this month it was also revealed that at least 700,000 patients' NHS records nationally were kept despite their instructions to the contrary.

And in January the Health and Social Care Information Centre pledged to contact a "large number" of patients who objected to the Care.data programme, after it emerged that their opt-outs could unintentionally exclude them from NHS services such as bowel screening.

NHS England says an anonymised patient records system is necessary to garner a complete picture of health and social care.

A spokeswoman said: "Sharing information about the care you have received helps us to understand the health needs of everyone and the quality of the treatment and care provided and reduce inequalities in the care provided.

"The new system will also provide information that will enable the public to hold the NHS to account and ensure that any unacceptable standards of care are identified as quickly as possible."