GPs look to share NHS data

FAMILY doctors are to debate for the first time safeguards for a system to share patient data across Scotland.

GPs will meet to discuss sharing their patient records on a computer system with health professionals across NHS Scotland. Records are currently only forwarded by GPs when cases are referred to hospitals.

But GP representatives said yesterday they were under increasing pressure from managers and from within the profession to share their patients' files.

Dr Alan McDevitt, who has tabled a motion to discuss security matters for sharing information at the conference, said: "A lot of people would potentially be able to see these documents. There has been increasing pressure on GPs following a new NHS hospital system being introduced in Scotland.

"The best way to populate this system with more details on patients is by making the GP records part of it. Because of the difficulties of having to get patient information quickly it would be difficult for hospital staff to maintain password security at times.

"If we put all this information on the system it potentially means the information is accessible from an awful lot of computers across the NHS in Scotland. We will debate the security measures which we want to see in order to safeguard the information."

McDevitt, who is secretary of the Glasgow local medical committee and a GP in Clydebank, added: "GP patient data is already shared in Scotland through the Emergency Care Summary database which collects information from GPs' computers.

"However, this is very limited information on such things as allergies and the regular medication patients are taking."

The issue will be debated at the British Medical Association conference for Scottish GPs on 11 March in Clydebank.