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Patients to be allowed to ‘enhance and update’ GP records

Patients will be allowed to ‘enhance and update’ their GP record eventually as part of NHS England’s plans to expand online access, says the body’s IT lead.

Beverly Bryant, NHS England director of strategic systems and technology, said patients being able to add to GP records was a ‘basic building block’ of what they were trying to achieve.

The 2014/15 GP contract regulations requires GPs to provide patients with access to the information in their summary care record by 2015, as a part of the Goverment’s drive towards a ‘paperless NHS’ by 2018.

Ms Bryant went even further when speaking at a Westminster Health forum event today, saying that patients should be able to add to their own records.

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She said: ‘I feel we’ve talked about telehealth too much in terms of the technology, too much in terms of the kit. We need the basic building blocks in place – which means access to GP records, the patient being able to see what is held about them and – within time – enhance and update it.’

She added: ‘The focus needs to be on interoperability and information sharing between and across care settings, because then telehealth will really have its place at that front end working for the patient to help them manage their care.’

An NHS England spokesperson told Pulse: ‘We are still working through the details with BMA and RCGP colleagues’.