Patient data extraction software dropped by DH

The Department of Health has dropped plans to use Apollo software to extract patient data from GP practice systems this year for its GP Patient Survey after concerns about potential breaches of confidentiality.

The Patient Information Advisory Group, set up to provide advice on use of patient information, refused to support the DH’s proposals to use the software to send questionnaires to patients to assess payments for directed enhanced services (DES) on access and choice.

The PIAG was concerned that patient confidentiality could be breached if patients were selected because they had been given an appointment or referred to secondary care.

The DH said it had intended to use Apollo software to send a single questionnaire to patients with questions on both access and choice. The software had already been developed but the PIAG withheld its approval for use.

A letter from the DH setting out arrangements for this year’s GP Patient Survey states: “The Advisory Group’s judgment was that the benefits to the public of conducting the survey did not, in their view, outweigh their concerns over the use of confidential information on the scale of the survey without prior patient consent. The concern being potential risk to individuals receiving a survey letter linking to a recent appointment or referral.”

The DH did use Apollo software for the access element of its GP Patient Survey last year but some GPs refused to install the software then, citing concerns over confidentiality.

This year the DH will instead use the NHAIS (Exeter) system, an alternative it offered last year, to select patients at random for the questionnaire on access.

The DH will once again ask practices to hand out choice surveys to patients when they are referred to assess payments for the choice element of the choice and booking DES.

Last week the DH said that do not wish to take part in the survey need to email the GP Patient Survey mailbox by 30 November. Practices that do not take part in the surveys will not be entitled to payments under the DESs.

About 5 million questionnaires on access to GP services will be sent to patients from 7 January 2008 with a deadline of 2 April for responses.

The choice survey will begin on 21 January 2008 and run for ten weeks and this year practices will have the option of sending the form to patients who have already been referred as well as issuing the questionnaire when the referral is made.

The DH claims that last year’s survey did not breach patient confidentiality. It said its Caldicott Guardian was content that arrangements put in place to conduct the access survey were sufficient to address the needs of the Data Protection Act 1998.

More guidance on this year’s surveys is due to be issued later this month.