BMA tells GPs to hold fire on SCR

The BMA’s GP committee is advising family doctors in England not to upload any more Summary Care Records until it has agreed how recommendations from two reviews should be implemented.

The General Practitioner Committee says it is in talks with NHS Connecting for Health about the outcomes of the reviews of the consent model and content of the record, which were published in October.

Dr Chaand Nagpaul, deputy chair of the GPC and its lead on IT issues, told EHI Primary Care that GPs should wait for further guidance from the GPC before agreeing to further uploads of records.

Last week, Londonwide Local Medical Committees advised its members to hold fire on the SCR for the same reason.

Dr Nagpaul told EHI Primary Care: “We are working on the detail of how the review’s recommendations can be logistically implemented and we would suggest that practices wait for our guidance before proceeding with any more uploads.”

The two simultaneous reviews into the SCR recommended that the record should be limited to a patient’s demographic details, medications, allergies and adverse reactions, and also recommended changes to patient information programmes.

Since then, PIPs haverestarted in some areas and records are continuing to be uploaded. Latest figures from CfH show 3.9m SCRs have been created from 624 GP practices.

Dr Nagpaul told EHI Primary Care that some of the discussion involved how changes could be made to GP systems to reflect the new limit on what could be uploaded to the SCR.

He added: “The BMA is working with the government to be able to see the reviews’ recommendations transferred to a practical reality but it’s very hard to say how long that will take.

“At the moment, GP systems do not restrict uploads to the core record so parts of the discussions are about the IT and logistical processes and involve CfH working with the clinical suppliers.”

A spokesperson for the Department of Health said: "The DH is working closely with the BMA at local and national level to deliver the recommendations of the SCR review, which achieved a consensus amongst clinicians and patients about the desirability of a core record detailing current medication, allergies and adverse reactions.

“As has always been the case, GP practices can continue to upload records when they and their PCTs are confident that patients have been properly informed about their choices."