The following from Dr Gordon Atherly.
Minister admits U-turn on NHS database amid privacy fears
The government gave a categorical assurance yesterday that NHS patients would have an absolute right of veto on any part of their medical records being uploaded to a national database.
The health minister Lord Warner confirmed a report in the Guardian on Saturday that the government was abandoning an attempt to oblige GPs to provide a medical summary on every patient for a centralised electronic record.
He acknowledged changing the policy over the past few weeks in response to the concerns of patients who feared unauthorised disclosure of their medical histories. He said the fears were groundless but offered assurances that were firmer than in the briefing to the Guardian last week.
