The newspaper also claims that the system could make medical
information available to the police and security services more
easily than before. That claim is rejected by the Department of
Health. "The rules are well established and the new electronic
record systems do not change this in any way," said the
spokeswoman.
A Guardian report based on its investigation said that details
of mental illnesses, abortions, pregnancy, HIV status, drug taking
and alcoholism could be included in patient profiles, and that
there was a lack of safeguards for data once it was on the
system.
The new NHS system has been controversial because of its rising
cost and slipping time scale. The report said that a virtual
"sealed envelope" system was in place to protect sensitive
information, but that the seal can be broken by medical
professionals if "the interests of the general public are thought
to be of greater importance than your confidentiality".
That contrasts with the current situation where police must get
a limited amount of information from a GP who knows the patient or
must obtain a court order for data.
The NHS spokeswoman said: "The NHS does not permit any external
access to its patient records unless this is explicitly required by
law. The police have no powers to require access to patients' NHS
records. In the absence of a legal requirement, the NHS may, and
indeed should, disclose patient information in relation to serious
crimes or to protect the public from significant risk."
Patients will not be permitted to stop their information being
put on the system, a move which is opposed by the British Medical
Association. "We believe that the government should get the
explicit permission of patients before transferring their
information on to the central database," said a BMA
spokeswoman.
