Medical records delayed

In some parts of the UK, one of the most controversial parts of the NPfIT, the medical records system has been delayed. Now, medical records will not be uploaded to a central computer system until the public is made more aware of the move, the government agreed.

GP practices have been advised to educate their patients about the Summary Care Record while the suspension of its roll-out is in place.

The British Medical Association raised fears that some regions were seeing an accelerated rollout of the summary care record without proper consent from patients.

So far, more than 1.25 million patient records have already gone online and some 50 million will be uploaded on to the database over time, Nursing Times reports.

Summary care records are central to the NHS computer upgrade in England, which is the biggest healthcare IT programme in the world. The record contains basic details like name, allergies, medication and adverse reactions, with further details possibly being added over time.

Patients in some regions have received letters about the records, which gives them the chance to opt out of having one created online.

Happening too fast

The BMA said last month that the programme was happening too fast in some parts of England and called for a suspension.

The Department of Health has now said the BMA records will not go online in accelerated rollout areas until there is greater public and professional awareness.

Ministers backed down after the BMA threatened a mass boycott of GPs, and are now pledging that no records will be uploaded until a further period of consultation has been launched with both practices and patients.

Dr Grant Ingrams, chairman of the BMA's GP IT committee, said: "This is a positive step. Summary care records have the potential to improve healthcare for patients if implemented appropriately."

He went on to say, "We welcome the decision to suspend uploads. Summary Care Records have the potential to improve healthcare for patients if implemented appropriately. We will work with government in future to ensure that the many concerns of patients and doctors are listened to and addressed."

The delay in the pilot areas doesn't mean the programme is being halted - records will continue to be uploaded in other places.

Signing contract with BT

Separately, the government recently signed an NPfIT contract with BT locking the next government into a contract that will see the delivery of the NPfIT reduced in scale. Chief executive of NHS London Ruth Carnall said: "The deal means [the NPfIT] will no longer provide the comprehensive solution anticipated in 2003."

BT will be paid about GBP£900 million, the original contract had been for GBP£1 billion, Computing.co.uk reported.

Public sector analyst for Ovum Mike Davis explained that the contract actually affords flexibility. "NHS trusts in London can now choose their own software and an alternative supplier if they want to," he said.

Although choosing their own provider will cost individual trusts money upfront, some, such as Ipswich, have opted to choose their own software and system integrator to implement an Electronic Patient Records (EPR) system because they believe it would be more cost-efficient in the long run.

The EPR means that the region's hospitals' billing systems are more efficient, thereby guaranteeing payment from their Primary Care Trust.

 

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