The way that the NHS uses patient records is changing. New technology and new aspirations for healthcare and research mean that data is being moved from GP’s surgeries and hospitals to massive centralised databases.

Members of Coventry LINk were recently given an opportunity to let policy makers know their views on some of the issues this raises.

We ran a session as part of the Who Sees What project and advertised this to all Coventry LINk members and 14 people attended.

This was an opportunity for them to learn more about the changes in a fun and exciting way, the consultation was based around discussion and debate.

Some of the questions the volunteers tackled were:

1.  How should the NHS handle consent for electronic patient records?

The group thought: Patients should not have the right to decide whether they have an electronic patient record.

2.  Who should be allowed to look through patient records to find participants for clinical trials?

The group thought: No one should look through records. Researchers should advertise clinical trials and invite patients to come forward to take part

3.  When should the NHS share records with researchers that want to use them for ethically approved research?

The group thought the NHS should share records with researchers but always seek consent before sharing named records

4.  What access should patients have to their records?

The group thought patients should be able to see their records while in a doctor’s surgery

If you took part and would like to track the feedback given, you can find out more by visiting.

Go to more information on the Who Sees What website (opens new window)