Over on Smarth Healtchare, Phil Booth, head of the NO2ID campaign against ID cards, has written a scorching attack on the Summary Care Record.

“The creation of centralised systems that make sensitive personal information accessible to many, and not just those directly involved in providing care, undermines the confidence patients can have – must have – if they are to disclose things about themselves for their own treatment and well-being, and for the wider public health.

The myth is that the patient is at the heart of these systems; that they are for our convenience or safety, or purely administrative and not to serve Whitehall’s explicit goal to ‘overcome current barriers to information sharing’ or the interests of a powerful medical research lobby.

In reality the vast majority of patients are highly motivated to look out for their own data and, being the person most likely to be affected, are the smart choice if you’re trying to ‘join systems up’ – especially in the sorts of critical situations being used to sell the Summary Care Record.”

If the Jury’s still out on the Summary Care Record, then what Booth’s piece is very much the case for the prosecution. NO2ID have been some of the most vocal opponents of centralised databases across government, and their attitude to SCRs is no different. But, while you should definitely take this with a pinch of salt, it’s definitely worth reading the whole thing – if just to get a different perspective.