GPs’ care.data responsibilities amount to ‘good customer service’


Alex Matthews-King writes in Pulse that the Information Commissioner believes that General Practitioners should consider the notifying their patients about care.data as being “good customer service” and not as a “legalistic tick-box”.

However, GP leaders have said this underestimates the strain it will put on practices to notify patients without additional funding.  Dr Grant Ingrams, deputy chair of the GPC’s IT subcommittee and a GP in Coventry told Pulse:

‘From the ICO’s point of view, GPs are the data controllers. So from their point of view, because we’re data controllers we’re the ones who need be sure that what needs to be done has been done.’

‘From my point of view, that’s fine. But unless the NHS is going to fund that or provide the resources to do that, as in they do it on our behalf, or they fund us to do it, I don’t mind. Then it makes care.data a dead duck.’

‘Because I don’t think any GP is going to pay hundreds or thousands out of their own pocket to run a campaign.’