GP labels SCR up-load a ‘disaster’

A GP whose practice has just uploaded Summary Care Records has heavily criticised the process, which she claims has been a "disaster."

Dr Linda Parker is a principal at one of four GP practices based at Roebuck House in Hastings, East Sussex, which have begun uploading records over the past two to three weeks.

Dr Parker told EHI Primary Care that the upload had been “a complete disaster for the practice” with large numbers of patients reporting no knowledge of the Public Information Programme.

She said: “I have had a lot of patients saying they haven’t received a letter when I have asked them about it and none of my own neighbours have received a letter.”

Dr Parker said the upload had also resulted in a significant slowdown in the practice’s iSoft clinical system.

“It keeps locking me out of the entire system. We were told it would be working in the background, which it isn’t," she said.

"It asks me if I want to upload something every time I make changes, which is not convenient in the middle of surgery. In the end I’ve even resorted to taking my smartcard out – which isn’t ideal.”

A spokesperson for NHS Hastings and Rother told EHI Primary Care that letters covering more than 13,500 patients were sent out to explain what was happening. 

He said these included details of how patients could opt out should they wish to do so and that the upload of eligible records was carried out “very successfully”.

He added: “We have been working closely with the GP practices at Roebuck House on the Summary Care Record, and the feedback we have received from the practice manager leading on the process is that things have worked well.

“There have been a small number of patients saying they did not receive the letter explaining the SCR process. However, this number is no higher than elsewhere.

"There have also only been a small number of queries to the SCR National Careline from Roebuck House patients and the number of opt outs has not been high. As always, we would encourage anyone who has any feedback on the SCR to get in touch.”

Problems with the SCR software causing a slowdown in GP clinical systems were reported in thefirst independent evaluation of the SCR, published in 2008.

Concern that patients were not being made fully aware of the SCR led to the suspension of uploads in areas taking part in an accelerated roll-out last month.

Since then, the BMA has agreed that uploads can proceed where practices agree that patients have been adequately informed.