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Re: [LUG] OldTopic: Patients on the NHS Database

 

On Sun, Apr 18, 2010 at 09:53:41AM +0100, Simon Waters wrote:
> Henry Bremridge wrote:
> > Saw the following this morning
> > 
> > http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/7598520/Controversial-medical-records-database-suspended.html
> > 
> > Quote
> > 
> > The project triggered anger when it was revealed that information could
> > have been logged on the system without patientsâ knowledge.
> 
> Of course that is the nature of "opt out", if those people's records had
> been kept up to date then of course they would have received their
> letters - so probably a section of the population whose record would
> benefit most from being centralised. Those that move and don't register
> with a new GP.
> 
> I suspect politics is at the heart of it. The Tories would look pretty
> silly scrapping a working database in order to "save money" by replacing
> it. Probably summary care records have reached that point, where aside
> from the merits of how we got here it may well be cheaper to work with
> what we have, than scrap it and build "cheaper" systems to replace it.
> 

Should have provided a more explanatory link from the FT: less politics
and more nuanced. Mind you I recall a figure that if 1% of people opted
out then the scheme would fail: I am not sure where that 1% figure came
from. 

IF true then with these sort of articles, regardless of the election it
does not bode well for the current system.  

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/9c0377b2-498e-11df-9060-00144feab49a.html
....

The suspension leaves the whole of London with no means of routinely
sharing electronic records across healthcare settings, as plans for it
to have a dedicated system to do so were scrapped recently. Instead, it
was going to rely on the summary care record.

At present, the summary care record contains little other than current
medication and allergies.

To date, about 1.3m records have been uploaded in 16 pilot primary care
trusts, according to Connecting for Health, and it said uploads in those
areas would continue.

Another 70 primary care trusts â just over half the remainder â have
written to more than 20m patients telling them that the record is
coming: of those, 19 were about to start uploads to the national
database, Connecting for Health said.

The NHS body said only those 19 had been affected by the decision to
suspend, but in practice all 70 were stalled until there was âgreater
public and professional awarenessâ.

However, neither Connecting for Health nor the BMA could define how that
would be measured .

Mike OâBrien, the health minister in charge of the project, said the
decision to suspend had been taken by officials âas an operational
matterâ.

The installation of the electronic records programme into acute
hospitals in London has been heavily cut back, with a dedicated
information exchange having been scrapped under a revamped contract with
BT.

Dr Grant Ingrams, joint chairman of the BMA IT committee, said the BMA
still supported the project.

âThis has nothing to do with GPs not wanting to share records,â he said.
âWe just want it done properly.â


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Henry
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