Andrew Turner the Island’s MP has voiced concerns over the introduction by the NHS Isle of Wight of a new scheme to share health records of those registered with a GP on the Island.
The scheme will create an online database of the medical records with the aim of making personal medical information quickly and easily available in hospitals and other medical establishments outside the GPs’ surgery.
Mr Turner commented:
“Whilst speeding up and sharing medical records has some obvious advantages, I am concerned that the NHS Isle of Wight is sharing personal and sensitive information about patients without their express consent. It is also worrying that all medical data held on a patient may potentially be accessed, whether it is relevant or not. For example a doctor who is treating you for a broken bone or a hip replacement would be able to view your complete medical records, including perhaps information about very personal problems you have discussed with your GP or details about your mental health. I believe it would be better for people to have the chance to ‘opt in’ to this new scheme.”
The NHS Isle of Wight has said it has written to everyone who will be added to the scheme (around 141,000 people) informing them of the decision to share their health records and also outlining the opportunity to opt out of the scheme. In similar schemes around the country the opt-out rate has been very low at around 1%, with claims that most people do not mind having their data shared. However concerns have been expressed over the ease in which people can opt out, with similar schemes having often confusing instructions on how to opt out, which may leave many people having their data shared against their wishes.
The NHS Isle of Wight assured Islanders that:
“This development is not connected in any way to national initiatives to share records and, for such direct access the medical professional will still need to ask the patient’s permission before viewing their record.”
However, there is no guarantee that if the scheme is successful that it will not be linked up to other national schemes, which could lead to increased access to the data, potentially putting the health records of Islanders available to anyone in the country.
Mr Turner added:
“I am also concerned about the security of large amounts of sensitive data being handled centrally. There have been problems in the past with Islanders medical records being ‘lost’ through no fault of the local NHS.”
Mr Turner refers of course to the incident in May 2008, when a NHS disk containing the medical records of over 38,000 Island residents was lost by a courier in transit from a London GP specialist software company.
END Contact : Andrew Turner’s office 01983 530808
