§ Mr. FearnTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) if he will list the organisations asked to comment on his Department's consultation document on DHA use of family practitioner committee patient registration data; what representations have been received; and of those, how many were for or against the proposals;
(2) when the Government expect to respond to representations received regarding the consultation document on DHA use of patient registration data; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mrs. CurrieCopies of the consultation document were sent by the Department to the following bodies in England:
The document was publicised in the reply given to my hon. Friend the Member for Ludlow (Mr. Gill) on 25 November 1987, at column 243, and in a press release on the same day.
- Regional Health Authorities (14)
- District Health Authorities (191)
- Family Practitioner Committees (90)
- Special Health Authorities for London Teaching Hospitals (8)
- Community Health Councils (191)
- Health Service Commissioner
- General Medical Council
- General Medical Services Committee
- Joint Consultants' Committee
- Community Medicine Consultative Committee
- British Medical Association
- Royal College of General Practitioners
- English National Board for Nursing, Midwifery and Health Visiting
- Joint Committee of Professional Nursing, Midwifery and Health Visiting Associations (England)
- Royal College of Nursing
- Royal College of Midwives
- Health Visitors' Association
- Data Protection Registrar
- Society of FPCs
- Society of Administrators FPS
- National Association of Health Authorities
- Inter-Regional Secretariat for Health Authorities
- Association of Community Health Councils for England and Wales
- Royal Institute of Public Administration
- Institute of Health Service Managers
- British Computer Society
- Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain
- General Whitley Council (Staff Side Secretary)
- National Council for Voluntary Organisations
- National Association of Citizens' Advice Bureaux
- Consumers' Association
- Patients' Association
- National Council for Civil Liberties
- National Consumer Council.
Over 400 responses were received. The great majority of responses recognised that there would be additional benefit to patient care if DHAs could use patient registration data, and supported such use on condition that questions about the extent and nature of proper safeguards were resolved. We are considering all the issues arising from the process of consultation and will bring forward proposals as soon as we are in a position to do so.