Secret NHS plan to share personal records

[Northerner]

Confidential medical information could be shared among doctors, researchers and managers under plans to ?override? patients? objections, it can be revealed.

A secret NHS document, seen by The Daily Telegraph, has raised fears that patient confidentiality will be watered down.

The draft code of practice for patients? information was circulated among NHS managers earlier this month. It tells staff that they can sometimes ignore patients? wishes over the distribution of ?identifiable? records and refers to ?the wide range of purposes that information is used for outside of direct care?.

The document has led to warnings that sensitive medical and personal details could be distributed widely and even passed to pharmaceutical firms, regardless of patients? wishes.

Phil Booth, of medConfidential, a campaign group, said the draft code could usher in ?the most radical downgrading of medical confidentiality the NHS has ever seen.?

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/9960728/Secret-NHS-plan-to-share-personal-records.html

 

[LeeLee]

This is nothing new and the law hasn't changed, but the guidelines have had to be re-published for each of the new health bodies that come into existence on Monday. There are VERY strict rules in place, and they ARE followed.

Individuals can ask to see their own records. After a patient has died, the next of kin or executor must prove who they are and why they want to see a record before it is released. Other organisations have to prove that they are entitled to receive information, and the purpose it's to be used for. For example, the police may be looking for a missing person and need to know who the GP is. They can't just go and look at everything.

 

[FM001]

All wrong, personal details should remain just that unless consent has been given to say otherwise😡

 

[ypauly]

The last government wanted to share information across government departments but came unstuck, I think this would go the same way.