London GPs offer SCR advice

The Londonwide group of Local Medical Committees (LMCs) has stepped outside of the NHS Public Information Programme to raise awareness of Summary Care Records

The trade association, which represents 6,500 GPs in the capital, has made posters available to GP surgeries highlighting the fact that patients have a choice about whether or not their records are held on a central database.

It claimed that people are visiting local surgeries to express their concern about the SCR system and how to opt-out.

The Londonwide LMCs also hopes the poster campaign will provide GPs with "simple" information to deal with SCR related queries. It plans to launch a guidance document offering further information on the records database, alongside the poster campaign.

Dr Michelle Drage, joint chief executive of the group, said: "Our ongoing communication to practices and their patients on the SCR is not attempting to address the pros and cons of the SCR; this is a national issue which is being addressed by others. Our aim is to simply provide timely and appropriate communication for practices and patients on the roll out across London as it is happening now."

The group told SmartHealthcare.com that the different times at which patients are receiving SCR related letters from primary care trusts is a contributing factor to the lack of awareness.

The news comes after the British Medical Association (BMA) sent a letter to health minister Mike O'Brien on 10 March, saying it was concerned about the speed of the widespread introduction of SCRs. It also said that the haste of implementation means records are being introduced in areas where public information programmes have not yet started, so patients have no knowledge of the system.

If patients take no action when they are sent a letter about SRCs, the NHS will automatically generate a centrally held record of their healthcare data. Five of England's strategic health authorities are moving ahead with introducing SCRs across their areas: North-West, North-East, Yorkshire and Humber, London and East of England.

• BMA calls for suspension of SCR uploads

  The British Medical Association has written to health minister Mike O'Brien, expressing 'serious concern' about the widespread introduction of Summary Care Records

• London to introduce Summary Care Records

  The Department of Health says that the NHS in London will implement England's national patient record system over the next year

• Press poses danger to SCR introduction

  Managing the media is a key part of introducing Summary Care Records (SCRs) successfully, according to NHS Connecting for Health

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