Private doctors muscle in on patient records

The British Medical Association has issued an emergency request for GPs to stop third parties accessing and updating patients’ health records after NHS England announced it would remove GPs’ rights to protect patient health records. In a video posted on YouTube on Saturday, the BMA GP committee chair advised all GPs to switch off part of the software that connects patient records with private companies. Known as ‘update the record’, this allows private GPs using remote consultations to diagnose conditions like ADHD and prescribe medications without the patient’s GP being involved. The BMA’s GP committee worries that this will leave NHS GPs responsible for other doctors’ decisions. The context is a steady increase in the number of UK patients getting prescriptions from pharmacies and seeing doctors privately because of long waits for NHS GP appointments.

Further reading: Sick Note: a broken NHS