You may have missed it, but the last month has seen the simmering disagreement about Summary Care Records explode into open warfare as a number of groups have called on the NHS to halt its accelerated roll-out of the database.

The row centres on the way the roll-out has been handled. Groups likes the British Medical Association which have previously given a cautious welcome to the programme, argue that opting out of the system is unacceptably difficult. They want patients to be sent an opt-out form together with the letter telling them that they are to be entered in to the database.

The trouble begain earlier this month when the British Medical Association called for a suspension of the process of adding records to the service and escalated when the Patients’ Associationand civil rights campaigners Liberty  backed the call.

The NHS responded by suggesting that including opt-out forms with the letters would confuse patients, causing them to opt out in error. However, the controversy was fuelled when some patients were sent the wrong details owing to a mistake by a private contractor.

Despite all the bluster, though, there’s little that the BMA or anyone else can do the prevent the rollout from going ahead. The only thing that’s really likely to stop the project is the election. A conservative victory would almost certainly see the a fundamental rethink of the NHS’s IT strategy which is likely to meet the expectations of the commentators who are calling for a locally based system rather than the current national scheme.

It seems then, that rather than arguing over the scheme’s merits, the critics of NPfIT, and it’s defenders, should be thinking about how they cast their votes.