DH and BMA say as you were on SCR

The summary care record roll out

Primary care trusts will be allowed to create and upload Summary Care Records so long as GP practices agree, the Department of Health and the BMA have agreed.

The latest statement on the SCR appears to reverse the decision taken just two weeks ago by the DH that all uploads to the SCR should be suspended in accelerated roll-out areas.

Now PCTs can go ahead if they have agreement from GP practices that patients have been adequately informed about the process and are able to opt-out if they wish.

The latest move appears to return to the previous policy on the SCR, which was that PCTs should only begin SCR creation with “full agreement” from GP practices.

However, it has the support of the BMA, which earlier in the year claimed that the accelerated roll-out was being "rushed."

Dr Laurence Buckman, chairman of the BMA’s General Practitioner Committee, said: “We are pleased that practices will not be under pressure to upload unless they are satisfied that their patients understand exactly what their consent means, and that all their records are set up properly.

"This will help ensure that the Summary Care Record maintains its potential to benefit patients.”

The DH and NHS Connecting for Health have found themselves under increasing pressure from SHAs and PCTs keen to go-ahead with the roll-out, having originally provided additional funding to help NHS organisations with it.

Delivery of the SCR by March 2011 was a requirement in the 2010-11 Operating Framework.

The joint statement from the BMA and NHS Employers on behalf of the DH and CfH states that practices must be “fully informed and supported” to upload data and that practices and PCTs must be satisfied that data is “of an appropriate quality for sharing."

It says the requirement for practice agreement before upload will apply in places that were working to implement the SCR before the accelerated roll-out, but which have yet to upload data, as well as in the five SHAs that accelerated the roll-out.

The statement adds: “This status should not preclude uploads where agreement about adequate information has been reached.”

When the row over the roll-out began in March, Dr Gillian Braunold, SCR clinical director, wrote to GPs about the SCR programme.

The letter, written on 10 March, states: “It is important to emphasise that no practice will begin Summary Care Record creation without full agreement and training on site.”

In this week’s statement, the BMA and NHS Employers say CfH has also agreed to continue to work with stakeholders, including the BMA, to improve nationally available templates and examples for PCTs and practices to support public awareness and practice and professional involvement.

The statement adds: “They have also agreed that the BMA and CfH will work jointly on what, within the constraints of current policy, constitutes an appropriate local campaign of public and professional awareness and practice support, in order to assist practices and PCTs in making decisions on whether local arrangements for public and professional information is sufficient.”

The statement says that SHAs are expected to ensure that their PCTs understand and implement appropriate communications arrangements.