Bury NHS Primary Care Trust (PCT) is joining the pilot of the electronic care record system at the heart of the £12bn National Programme for NHS IT (NPfIT).

The Lancashire trust’s involvement comes at a time of continued controversy over the scheme.

In a House of Commons debate last week, Conservative MP Stephen O’Brien called for an independent review. And NPfIT director general Richard Granger will be among witnesses at a health select committee hearing today (Thursday).

The first live trials of electronic records started in Bolton last month. Under the scheme, participating patients’ summary information ­ holding details of allergies, medication and adverse reactions ­ are available to casualty departments, out-of-hours GP clinics and ambulance services, via the national spine.

In Bury, work is now under way to create summary records, with letters being sent out to every person over 16 who is registered with a GP to explain how the system will work.

For patients not opting out of the system, it will be operational in October, says Bury PCT IT director Ann Halpin.

'We are in a good position to be an early adopter because we have good IT infrastructure and data quality and a common system across GP practices,’
she said.

‘The benefits are better treatment and improved safety.’

So far 24 of the area’s 31 GPs have signed up to the initiative, which covers 73 per cent of the PCT’s population.

‘The majority of GPs are engaged as we have given them as much information as possible,’ said Halpin.