Lack of access to patient records will threaten modernisation agenda
Pharmacists should have appropriate role-based access to electronic patient records, several pharmacy organisations say in their responses to the Parliamentary Health Committee's inquiry
into the electronic care record (PJ, 10 February, p154).
The Royal Pharmaceutical Society highlights that the pharmacy profession
has received no firm assurances that it will have access to the care
record database or to other IT developments apart from those required
to operate the electronic prescription service.
In a joint response, the National Pharmacy Association, the Pharmaceutical
Services Negotiating Committee, the Company Chemists’ Association
and the Association of Independent Multiple Pharmacies, say that involving
community pharmacists at an early stage in the implementation of electronic
care records will give an insight into the benefits and challenges that
arise in joining up care and provide learning to support wider roll-out
of the service to other professions and organisations.
In a separate response (PDF 30K), the Society suggests that the
Government’s
modernisation agenda will be threatened without appropriate access to
electronic records. It argues that the future success of new services
and new clinical roles, such as independent prescribers and pharmacists
with special interests, is dependent on appropriate access to electronic
records. “Without it, the benefits of all of these recent changes
may never be fully realised,” says the Society.
Both responses point out that pharmacists already have systems in place
for handling confidential patient information and are subject to legal,
ethical and professional requirements in this respect.
Meanwhire, two GP practices in Bolton are the first in England to implement
electronic summary care records as part of an early adopter programme
before the service is rolled out nationally. About 14,500 patients in
Bolton were informed last week that they have two months to decide if
they want to opt out of their summary care record — containing
their name, address, medication history, serious illnesses and allergies — being
uploaded onto the national database.
By July, Bolton’s out-of-hours provider and accident and emergency
department will be able to view the record. The early adopter programme
will be fully evaluated, including an independent evaluation, before
a full
roll out begins, says NHS Connecting for Health.
Commenting on pharmacists’ lack of involvement in the electronic
summary care record early implementer sites, Gareth Jones, NPA NHS liaison
manager, said: “Pharmacist access to the care records has the potential
to improve patient safety, support the development of new services and
improve the continuity of care offered to patients and we therefore urge
Connecting for Health to facilitate pharmacy involvement at the earliest
opportunity.”
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