Report to the People
4th September 2006
On
the Records
If,
God forbid, you were to collapse on a Sunday morning and be rushed to hospital,
you’d expect the medical staff to know exactly what you need.
What,
though, if you arrive unconscious? How
do the doctors know, for example, what medication they can’t give you because
of an allergy? You can’t tell
them. And, as your GP’s surgery
is closed for the weekend, it’s not a simple matter to find out.
To
make sure NHS clinicians can get your medical details when they need them,
therefore, an electronic Emergency Care Summary (ECS) for every patient is being
introduced. This will contain
essential details such as your name, date of birth, any medication you’re
taking and any adverse reactions to prescribed medicines.
If
you don’t have it already, a leaflet will shortly be dropping through your
door explaining the new system.
Some,
of course, have understandable concerns about who can access our personal data.
The ECS, however, is stored using the highest standards of electronic
security and, unless you’re unconscious or otherwise unable to consent, NHS
staff must ask your permission to access it.
Further, anyone who still objects is perfectly entitled to opt out.
Medicine
is supposed to be at the cutting edge of science, but wheeling paper medical
records round hospital corridors in trolleys belongs in the 19th
Century. If fears over security can
be allayed, electronic medical records which doctors can access swiftly, when
and where you need treatment, can only be good for patient care.
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