Jill Palmer writes in Tribune about the Summary Care Record roll-out:

People will want to be reassured that their confidentiality is preserved, that their data is not at risk from hackers. Many distrust the Government on its ability to safeguard the personal data it retains on computer systems, as its track record on data security is far from good.

Personally, I believe that computerised records are the way forward and I think that when it is fully explained and all the security safeguards are in place, most patients will support it. After all, most people would agree that having our medical notes on computer at the GP surgery and computer-printed prescriptions have speeded up and improved care. Only the most paranoid would be concerned that surgery receptionists are secretly reading our medical notes – which were much less safe from prying eyes when they were in brown envelopes.

But I also agree with the BMA that the Government should suspend the scheme while outstanding issues are settled. It wants a stop to the rollout of summary care records, inclusion of an opt-out form in the information sent to patients and the permanent withdrawal of BMA comment on the Health Department’s promotional video. Until the acceptability, reliability and usability of the systems are resolved, it will never be a success.

Why all the rush anyway? Could it be anything to do with the general election? The Conservatives have pledged to scrap the centralised NHS personal medical records scheme if they win. Could it be that the current Government is trying to rush it through before the Tories might be in a position to cancel it?

This entry was posted by andrew on Wednesday, March 31st, 2010 at 23:45 and is filed under Database state, Pro, UK News Articles. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.