Some 78% Of GPs Believe A New Government IT Initiative Is Not Good Enough
A new survey has found that 78 per cent of GPs do not believe NHS England provided them with enough guidance to explain the latest round of patient information updates.
The care.data programme was brought in by the government to help improve the way that patients' details are managed and shared by NHS Trusts, but has been criticised by many doctors for not being effective enough.
A new survey conducted by YouGov and commissioned by the Medical Protection Society (MPS) has found that of the 1,400 asked, 67 per cent of medical professionals have not received a leaflet explaining how they new system works.
Dr Pallavi Bradshaw, medico legal advisor at the MPS, claimed that while it is important the NHS changes the way its information is managed, care.data is still not popular among clinicians, with 80 per cent of GPs believing it will undermine public confidence in confidentiality.
"The extraction of patient data is imminent and MPS believes that the onus is now on the NHS to do more," Dr Pallavi added.
"They need to make sure that GPs have enough information to support patients with any enquiries about care.data and that patients receive information to enable them to make an informed decision about their personal information."
Earlier this month an MP claimed it was only a matter of time until the NHS suffered a data breach that would expose patients' details.
Labour's George Mundie told parliament that care.data should be postponed because it will allow cybercriminals to leak important information that is highly sensitive and private, reports the Daily Mail.
Mr Mundie said if a breach occurred careers could be ended, jobs lost, insurance refused and relationships ruined - as many people have undisclosed conditions that they do not want other people to know about.
Another point of contention is that patients do not have to be asked for their permission before their details are added to care.data, something that left Mr Mundie "very cross".
Expert Opinion
It is vital that any new system which is put in place within the NHS Trusts is explained fully to staff and they are trained to use the programmes to ensure that patient’s records are correctly inputted so that mistakes are not made. <br/> <br/>“Understanding what diagnosis, treatments and medications each patient has needed is crucial to being able to treat them effectively in future. <br/> <br/>“The patient’s health and safety must remain the top priority for all healthcare providers to make sure they receive the best possible standard of care at all times.” <br/> Mandy Luckman - Partner