Collation of NHS central database. How do you feel about it?

[Saggarmakersbottomknocker]

The Government proposes to collect the nation's medical records onto a central database. I'm not happy about it. What about you?

Info about opting out is available TheBigOptOut

Sagger.... we've already been given our smart cards.

Do you? When is all this going 'live' then?

There's stuff about me on dd's records - irrelevant comments about my parenting of her before her dignosis of congenital heart disease. She could choose to share her information (once she's old enough I suppose) but in effect she's sharing information about me.

That's made me think about her records though - presumably I can opt her out?

The only bit that is 'live' at the moment is the Choose and Book system, which is hell on earth to work with. So any referral letters your GP has written to the hospital will be on there. Your full records will go on God knows when.... when they pay another billion quid to some private company to do it I suppose

DarrellRivers that is what I think too. It destroys trust between patient and GP/HV/whoever because often that is built on a personal relationship.

At present, all the referral lettters that I make to the hospital via Choose adn Book are available on the national spine.
So really it's only new stuff that will be going in, but your GP could dictate old stuff from the notes into a letter which then would be nationally available

Ah, are you a GP then DR?

guilty

lol - and is your practice giving info on this to its patients?

My practice doesn't seem to be as worried (as I am) by the breaking down of primary care into handy bite sized pieces ready for privatisation, nor the insidious bigbrother type intrusions in all areas of our life not just health, that seem to happen slowly and therefore without any cause for concern, nor the massive accumulation of debt that is being aquired in the form of PFIs for future generations of taxpayers.
I however must check our waiting room to see. (am salaried within practice so am not steering the surgery forwards but am interested member of public)
I do chat to my patients about it.

Actually will discuss with practice tomorrow.
Good to hear from some people who seem to have noticed their rights to privacy being wittled away.
Right, am off to watch ER

Me too - off to watch ER.

I think "Huge Call centres" to book appointments for your GP are many years away. Our GP's are self employed, contracted to the government. They would all have to sign up for this to work!

I think the basics they are working on (allergies etc) are great. If you get run over 100miles from home, the docs need to know if you are allergic to penicillin / other drugs etc. More personal stuff is just not necessary yet.

However, when all the computers are up to scratch, with all data accurate, then transferring your records from one surgery to another will be sooo much easier, so your new doctor can just bring up your records. But ACCESS to this information should be restricted to the surgery where you are registered.

Only read the OP but no, I'm not happy either. Private Eye have been scathing too and JackieNo has a point abuot huge IT screw ups.

DR, agree with you too. but hey, we're not so far away from Fruit, veg and a trip to the GP as stores are asked to open surgeries

I feel a bit like Saggarmakersbottomknocker first posted, because DD has medical records at four different hospitals and I'd really rather they were all in the one place and accessible to anyone who might need to know in an emergency exactly what kind of surgery had left those scars on her abdomen. Knowing about her surgery is v important to an anaesthetist; one already refused to put her under without a PICU on site because of the higher risk.