Pharmacy access to SCR suspended

The Department of Health has suspended a pilot scheme to test community pharmacy access to the Summary Care Record.

The DH said the decision to halt the pilot in Bradford followed two reviews of the SCR, which were published last autumn.

A DH spokesperson told EHI Primary Care: “The current priority of the NHS is to build trust and confidence in the Summary Care Record, following the two reviews of its content and how we communicate with patients.”

She added: “The NHS Bradford and Airedale project piloting community pharmacy access to the SCR has been paused in light of this so that the NHS, in line with the review outcomes, can focus on establishing the SCR’s use in emergency and urgent care.”

The Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee said planning had been well underway for the pilot, which was to consider the benefits, governance and practical arrangements of community pharmacists having access to the SCR.

The PSNC said it was “disappointing” that the project had been put on hold and that it remained convinced that providing community pharmacists with role-based read and write access to records, with patient consent, had the potential to greatly improve patient care.

Lindsay McClure, head of information services for the PSNC, said the Bradford pilot was to look at how access to the SCR might support scheduled care services such as Medicines Use Reviews.

The DH’s decision to focus solely on use of the SCR in emergency and urgent care had led to its suspension.

She told EHI Primary Care: “We believe there is still value in pursuing a pilot looking at unscheduled care such as emergency supply where having access to a list of medicines supplied through the SCR could be very useful.”

McClure said the PSNC did not believe the future lay solely with access to the SCR. She said it should lie in a range of solutions that would provide interoperability with GP systems and systems from other suppliers, including those offering personal health record systems.