§ Mr. William Hamiltonasked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many hospitals are sending personal details of patients to the computers run by the Hospital Activities Analysis Scheme; how many hospitals have refused to cooperate; what plans he has for the establishment of a hospital computer system on a regional basis; and if he will make a statement.
§ Sir K. JosephHospital activity analysis has been progressively introduced into the National Health Service in England over the last six years. Its main purposes are to give the individual doctor a summary of data on his patients, and to provide an aggregation of this data for general clinical and management purposes. 90 per cent. of hospitals—other than psychiatric hospitals—at present participate in hospital activity analysis and this is expected to cover all such hospitals by the end of 1974. No hospital has refused to co-operate in the Hospital Activity Analysis Scheme.
The information recorded in the scheme is included on a medical record form which makes provision for the recording of personal indentification particulars because of the possibility, at present being considered by the Government, of linking the records of a patient's individual hospital spells to each other and to vital records for service and research purposes. The information put into the computer does not in most cases include the names of patients. In two regions, and in some other areas where hospitals so wish, names are included. In some other cases the forms sent contain the names but these are not put into the computer.
There are no computers run by the Hospital Activity Analysis Scheme, which is serviced by the existing computers at regional hospital boards and boards of governors.
In the Oxford region, hospital activity analysis information is derived from an experimental scheme of medical record linkage; this scheme has been carried out since 1962 by the Unit of Clinical Epidemiology at the University of Oxford which reports directly to the Regius Professor of Medicine at Oxford Univer- 424W sity Medical School. This scheme is a method of linking clinical information with records of births and deaths and takes account of both the benefits of the scheme to medical care in general and considerations of medical confidentiality, although one hospital group does not participate. The object is to provide information which will contribute to research into the natural history, distribution and outcome of diseases, assist in the general assessment of medical needs, and ultimately help in the treatment of individual patients.
§ Mr. William Hamiltonasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will make a statement on the computerisation of information about all patients entering NHS hospitals.
§ Sir K. JosephThe main purposes of computerising information about patients entering National Health Service hospitals in England are to give the individual doctor a summary of data on his patients, to provide, under strict safeguards, data for research, and to provide an aggregation of data for general clinical and management purposes at hospital, regional and national levels. The hospital activity analysis referred to in the hon. Member's other Question today is the major source of information.