The northern council of the British Medical Association has sent out a press release opposing the central storage of certain medical records and the fact that patients must opt out rather than in: Summary care record
Nonetheless, preparations are now underway to get 9m or so records on to the database. I don’t like the opt-out system (and it is very hard to opt out) or the fact that so much information is stored. From what I’ve seen, the administration side also seems to overwhelm useful clinical data.
Why couldn’t people be given a memory stick with a copy of their data, to be updated when they see someone, which would be theirs to give to who they trusted?
I don’t see the summary care record as useful for direct medical care, but for appropriating, collecting and managing data.
I’ve heard from a few people who have had huge difficulty opting out. Anyone else?
Margaret McCartney
Clive Cookson
Andrew Jack