Professional bodies ‘should support patient information programme’

The government has called on professional bodies to support the patient information programme and to routinely copy letters to patients regarding their condition and treatment.

Health minister Rosie Winterton has stated that the Royal College of Nurses, British Medical Association (BMA) and similar bodies should urge their members to copy in patients in correspondence between clinicians regarding their treatment.

A survey from the Department of Health recently revealed that nearly 70 per cent of patients had not been copied into such correspondence.

Ms Winterton said: “Copying letters to patients is at the heart of creating a partnership between patients and their clinicians – it helps patients share in the decision-making process about their care and make informed choices.”

She added that at present too few patients are copied into such letters as standard, resulting in patients being unable to cooperate fully in decisions being made regarding their care.

The Department of Health reports that the relevant professional bodies will be invited into a round-table discussion with the government in order to forge a consensus on making progress in this issue.

Earlier this month, the BMA warned that government proposals regarding urgent-care services favoured non-medically qualified staff and overlooked GPs.