§ Mrs. Doris Fisherasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he is satisfied that the National Health Service records of individual patients registered with general practitioners are kept fully up to date; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. AlisonThe record of each patient's registration with a general practitioner is held by the Executive Council. Every effort is made to keep such records up to date, although difficulties can arise where the population is especially mobile, as in large cities.
As regards the information recorded by the doctor himself, it is within his discretion how much clinical detail to record concerning individual consultations but he has a general obligation under his terms of service within the National Health Service to maintain records of his patients' illnesses and of his treatment of them.