GPs vote to halt Care Record Service development

GP representatives overwhelmingly backed a motion to call a halt to development of the NHS Care Records Service at the BMA’s annual Local Medical Committees conference on Friday.

LMC representatives backed a motion expressing no confidence in the government’s ability to store electronic patient records safely.

They also backed calls to support patients who wish to opt-out of the Summary Care Record (SCR), and a motion calling for a halt on any further development of plans to develop Care Records Service plans.

Proposing the motion was Dr Mike Ingrams of Hertfordshire LMC, who told the representatives: “In view of the government’s unparalleled reputation for not being able to store records safely, the GPC must put a halt on any further development of a centrally-held patient record and promote locally held interconnected storage instead.”

Sections of the audience agreed with Dr Ingram’s calls with many shouting ‘Hear, Hear’. Other LMC members also backed the proposals, calling for the BMA to stop working with the government on development of patient systems until security promises were fulfilled.

A call for the BMA’s General Practitioner Committee (GPC) to boycott working with the government until all concerns about consent and confidentiality are addressed was rejected.

A representative from Avon LMC said: “We have no confidence in the government’s integrity, and therefore its ability to keep patient records safe. The BMA General Practitioner’s Committee should desist from working with the government until all early adopter site glitches have been ironed out and cast-iron guarantees are in place.”

However, these calls were resisted by the BMA and the vote to pass the motion to desist from with working with the government was narrowly defeated by audience voters.

Instead, proposals to promote a national publicity campaign to warn patients of the risks of having data held on the Spine, will be looked into.

The audience also voted to continue to follow BMA policy that no patient medical data should be added to the national database without patient consent and pledged to continue to encourage GPs to support patients should they wish to have their details withheld from the Spine.

One member of North Yorkshire LMC, who wished to stay anonymous, told E-Health Insider the motion was the right thing for the BMA: “The government has demonstrated time and time again that it cannot be trusted to maintain securely, confidential patient health records. It’s only right that the BMA along with all NHS personnel re-iterate again and again that trust is essential for this to succeed.

“We don’t want to see the National Programme fail by any means, but we don’t want to be reassuring patients over issues we too have fears about. It’s disappointing to me calls for desisting work with CfH were rejected, but calling a halt is simply the first step in ensuring both we, and our patients, get the best system possible.”