Five trusts across two integrated care systems are drawing up plans to roll out a single electronic patient record funded by the government’s flagship infrastructure project.
Whilst on the face of it, this might seem ok, the reality is that it fragments patient data capturing and is yet another threat to patient privacy and confidentiality; and questions the truthfulness of NHS England and the Government in terms of data harvesting of our private medical records.
With the ability for individual ICSs to administer their own individual patient’s data banks, the question of how that data is used by the individual ICSs and the move away from national NHS data storing, retrieval and sharing; becomes an urgent matter to resolve.
With the principle of 42 ICSs eventually being able to amalgamate with others, set their own agendas, budgets and dispersal of healthcare services and provision and determine by whom – private sector or the NHS - , the total fragmentation of healthcare in England will be complete along with any control over the patient data they possess.
Further, adhering to the claimed national policy of NHS England, that patient medical data is never sold – a lie as anyone reading the NHS/NHS Digital website will know – will be a rather difficult premise to police; given the independence of all 42 Integrated Care Systems from NHS England.
Of course the Government and NHS England will claim that any collation and sharing of NHS patient medical records can only be done via the national data rules currently being formulated following the halting of the great GP patients data grab.
With all those on the ICS Boards and Partnership Boards being able to access such medical data of the patients in their geographic area, which includes local authorities, private companies and businesses and may even include insurance companies; the prospect of a free-for-all dash to profit from selling such data is the nightmare that we are all about to face.
NHS England is pushing this development and for good reason. It is necessary in order to enable the full privatisation of healthcare in England.
Further, Boris Johnson has made it clear that he wants ALL patient medical records to be shared across all interested parties developing data and digital healthcare systems in his push to minimise patient attendance at GP surgeries, and Hospitals by using digital methods e.g. video, photographs and self-diagnosis using mobile phone app! They also want these apps to be used in order to modify individual behaviours and blamed the patient's lifestyle for healthcare deterioration, illnesses and even old age!
You can download from the Unionsafetyu E-Library, the relevant 'life sciences' policy documents which clearly show the aim of NHS privatisation and the use of digital apps in order to create huge profits for private companies.
As in the USA, the intention is for private healthcare companies to dictate to patients what procedures, medication and lifestyle they must adhere to.
As a result and as previously reported by unionsafety, the provision of unnecessary surgical procedures, treatment and prescriptions will be a feature of healthcare in England as the private companies concerned make huge profit from the ill and infirm for the first time since the foundation of the NHS in this country. This is the final goal of the Tory Government and reasons for the abolition of the NHS.
Source: HSJ / Gov UK / unionsafety
See also: Unnecessary Healthcare Procedures And Prescribing Practices Risk Patient Care In USA
