E-Health Insider Primary Care Issue No 176, 9 July 2008

This week we report on the latest data sharing plans from IT system supplier TPP and the reaction of some GPs to their proposals. Data sharing is at the heart of the technologies being introduced to primary care both by suppliers and government and an area where work is still very much in progress. More than any of the other suppliers, TPP has built its primary care system to offer co-ordinated care across general practice, community and child health and is therefore tackling this issue ahead of many others. The debate over its latest data sharing model and the eventual outcome are likely to be followed closely by those working on the NHS Care Records Service (NCRS).

Data sharing and concerns about who will access patient information have also been central to the debate over the government's latest plans to look at extending access to the NCRS which we report on this week.

We also bring news that a Scottish health board has invited staff that have inappropriately stored sensitive patient information to hand it over as part of a data amnesty – will anyone step forward?

Finally the deadline for the BT eHealth Insider Awards (www.ehealthawards.com) is just a day away. Entries close on Thursday 10 July so it you haven't entered yet do not delay.

GPs concerned by TPP data sharing system
GPs have raised concerns about TPP SystmOne's new data sharing model which Connecting for Health says is currently being reviewed before further roll-out.

NHS Lothian declares 'data amnesty'
A Scottish health board has declared a data amnesty after a community health worker lost a USB stick containing personal information on 137 patients.

Access to NHS care records may be widened
The Department of Health is to review the scope of access to the NHS Care Records Service, including the possibly of making them available to non-NHS staff.

CfH technology boss says paper not fit for purpose
Connecting for Health's chief technology officer, Paul Jones has stressed the importance of integrating standards to achieve interoperability in healthcare, saying paper is “no longer fit for purpose”.

Latest BNFC interfaces with NHS dm+d
The new online edition of the latest BNF for Children - BNFC 2008 - will include a new interface to the NHS Dictionary of Medicines and Devices.

New information tools promised for commissioning
The Department of Health is to develop new technology systems over the next year, to help commissioners achieve the goals of its world class commissioning framework.

GMC says patient confidentiality 'is absolute'
Patient confidentiality is absolute; patients must give their consent before their data can be used, General Medical Council president, Sir Graeme Catto, said this week.

60 Second Interview: Murray Bain
In his latest 60 second interview with the people who make NHS computing work, Joe Fernandez talks to Murray Bain, director of IT at NHS Direct.

Creating a master guide to NHS websites
In his latest column GP Dr Neil Paul offers some suggestions to make it easier to find NHS information.

Which? survey says 65% in favour of records being available anywhere
Almost two in three patients (67%) don't mind which doctor they see as long as they could easily access their medical records, according to new research by Which? magazine. Almost the same amount (65%) said they don't mind which doctor they see if they can get a convenient appointment. Although 69% of patients say they would prefer to visit the same doctor each time, only around half of people (52%) who had seen a GP in the last year had seen the same doctor for their last three visits.

Health and social care e-health conference launched
Inside Government are holding a conference called "e-health: Transforming Health and Social Care Services Using Assistive and Wireless Technologies" taking place on Tuesday 19 August 2008 in Westminster. The event will look at the use of technologies such as Web 2.0 and telehealth and telecare devices and their impact on health and social care together with the lessons learned from early implementers. For more information, see http://insidegovernment.msgfocus.com/c/19NkuNki1ie1oKk.

Trafford council to deploy Liquidlogic eCAF
Collaborative software specialist Liquidlogic has announced that it is delivering its PROTOCOL e-Enabled Common Assessment Framework (eCAF) to Trafford Council. The council is due to go live with Liquidlogic eCAF in August 2008. Trafford is working closely with Liquidlogic to incorporate the CAF Quality Assurance Framework into the electronic system. This will support managers in accessing information about the quality of the assessments completed to monitor performance.

"Remember, it is all about sharing."

Connecting for Health's chief technology officer, Paul Jones on connected healthcare.