Public Information Programmes for the Summary Care Record are to restart before Christmas, following a five month suspension.

The Department of Health has told EHI Primary Care that a small number of PIPs will be launched before Christmas and that PIPs will restart in full in the New Year.

The coalition government decided to halt PIPs in June while it conducted a review of the SCR programme following concerns from the BMA that the information programmes were failing to adequately inform patients about the SCR programme and their right to opt-out.

A review conducted during the suspension concluded that an opt-out form should be included in the patient information packs and the information simplified. Almost 30m had already received information about the SCR but the review concluded there was no need to write to those patients again.

However, it said there should be awareness campaigns at local, regional and national level.

Last week it emerged that the business case for the SCR programme has yet to be approved by the Treasury.

In a response to a request under the Freedom of Information Act from Hampshire GP Dr Neil Bhatia the Treasury said the government was currently considering the business case to ensure it meet the priorities set out in the coalition agreement.

EHI Primary Care understands that the SCR Programme is currently operating under the original NHS Care Records Services business cases.

A separate business case for the implementation of the SCR was approved by the DH’s Capital Investment Branch in the first quarter of 2010 and awaiting final approval by the Treasury, but was delayed by the change in government and subsequent ICT moratorium.

It is understood the business case for the SCR is now being redone to align with the outcomes of the SCR reviews commissioned by the coalition government and is in the process of being submitted for approval.

A DH spokesperson told EHI Primary Care that SCR uploads will continue while the government considers the new SCR business case “as long as the GP practice and the PCT are in agreement.”

Latest statistics from NHS Connecting for Health show the number of SCRs created has doubled to 3.5million since the government launched its reviews in June.

Statistics as at 11 November show 3,528,914 SCRs have been completed from 557 practices. The opt-out has risen to 1.13% from 0.66% in February.

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