EXCLUSIVE

Pharmacy minister Alistair Burt has branded the Pharmacy2U scandal an “aberration” that should not deter patients from sharing their data with the sector.

The £130,000 fine imposed on the online pharmacy business last week for selling patient names and addresses to marketing companies "doesn't help" the sector's bid for access to summary care records, Mr Burt told C+D in an exclusive interview last week (October 22).

Pharmacy2U's behaviour "adds to an impression that some elements [of] the media are keen to foster" that "the availability of [patient] information is about selling [it] and making money," he told C+D.

But the government and pharmacists "have to do everything in our power" to demonstrate that holding patient information is a good thing, Mr Burt stressed. "We have to reassure people about security," he said.

Stories like the Pharmacy2U fine should not get in the way of the “real, important reasons” for transferring patient information between healthcare professionals, the minister said. “Sometimes it can be catastrophic if [information] isn’t passed,” he said.

The government announced in June that it will partially fund the rollout of access to the summary care record for every English pharmacy, and Mr Burt said this is a good example of how records access can "best work in practice".

“Untold damage”

Mr Burt said it is “absolutely right” that any breaches of the Data Protection Act are “cracked down” on as quickly as possible. “People who abuse the system of information [sharing] are doing untold damage to others and it is correct that the most severe action is taken,” Mr Burt said.

Last week, the Royal Pharmaceutical Society said it would review the membership of any members "found guilty of wrongdoing" in relation to Pharmacy2U's actions. The General Pharmaceutical Council said it it will “study” the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) findings on the sale of patient data to decide if it should take action against the online business.

Pharmacy2U managing director Daniel Lee has “sincerely apologised” for the “regrettable incident”, which saw patient data sold to an Australian lottery company that the ICO said “deliberately targeted elderly and vulnerable individuals”.

 

How will the Pharmacy2U scandal affect the sector's campaign for records access?

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