Annual Representative Meeting 2005 - Policy statement on confidentiality
30 June 2005
That this Meeting acknowledges that, whilst there are benefits to patient care with integrated centralised health record systems, it has some serious concerns about the implementation of any such system in practice. Therefore this meeting:
1) Reaffirms the duty of doctors to maintain the confidentiality of patient information;
2) Supports, in principle, the concept of an integrated centralised health record system;
3) Believes that it is both urgent and vital that the profession and the public are consulted regarding any plan to transfer health records to a central electronic system;
4) Calls on government and the BMA to undertake wide public consultation prior to implementation of an integrated health record system to include :
a) Whether patients should be offered an opt-in or opt-out consent to the sharing of their medical records,
b) Whether the patient holds the information themselves or whether it is held in a local or national database,
c) What identifiable information is actually shared,
d) Which healthcare professionals should have access to the patient information and in which circumstances,
e) Who controls which healthcare professionals, government bodies and non-NHS organisations should have access to both identifiable and anonymous patient information and to what extent;
5) Insists that the results of public consultation are well publicised and determine how any integrated centralised health record system is implemented;
6) Calls on government to ensure that any patient information is accurate and fit for purpose;
7) Calls on government to ensure that any records system is developed and implemented in partnership with both healthcare professionals and the public;
8) Insists that the security of patient information is paramount and should include protection against illegitimate access;
9) Insists that it is essential that the Caldicott Guardian(s) of an integrated health records system should be independent healthcare professionals who protect the rights of patients;
10) Calls on government to ensure urgent and adequate training on patient confidentiality for all healthcare professionals and support staff.