NHS Connecting for Health has dropped the requirement for patients to appear in person if they wish to opt out of having a Summary Care record (SCR).
The Department of Health’s IT agency has faced criticism in recent weeks after it emerged that some patients were being asked to attend their GP practice person if they wanted to opt-out of having a summary record.
Now NHS CfH has issued new guidance to PCTs making it clear that it is possible to opt-out by post. CfH said the original guidance, issued in 2007, was based on the need to ensure that patients understood the implications of opting out.
It added: “NHS Connecting for Health has set up an early adopter programme designed to discover what works best and to make improvements for the rest of the NHS, based on experience in real-life healthcare situations. Following feedback from these early adopters and an independent evaluation by University College London, advice has been issued to make it possible to opt out without attending in person.”
NHS Stoke-on-Trent kicked off the last national roll-out of the SCR last month and it emerged that it was among trusts asking patients to appear in person.
A PCT spokesperson told EHI Primary Care: "We considered it more secure to ask patients to come in to the surgery to complete the form, as this would give reception staff the opportunity to confirm their identity, either formally or informally. Patients are not required to discuss their reasons with the GP reception staff or any PCT official. The form is available on the PCT website if patients wished to complete the form prior to visiting the practice."
CfH said Dorset PCT has already successfully used an online form to enable patients to opt-out because it covered such a geographically dispersed community. All patients will now be able to opt-out by post or discuss their options either in person or over the telephone.
Dr Gillian Braunold, clinical director for the SCR programme, said the programme had listened to early adopters and decided to ensure there was an easier way to opt out than through a visit to the surgery.
She added: "While it is important that patients are given the opportunity to talk through options, we also want to make it as easy as possible for those who have already made up their mind.
"Patients can be reassured that not only will their permission be asked before their SCR is accessed by any of the healthcare team, but if they change their mind at any point about their SCR being available to healthcare teams, this can be easily prevented."
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