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<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>GPs were allowed to keep their patient records
electronically by Statutory Instrument in 2000, and the law that allowed the
electronic EPR in evidence was the Civil Evidence Act of 1995.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>GP practices change systems over the years, sometimes
several times, and patients move between practices: some systems only transfer
the records of current patients – i.e. if a patient leaves the list the
day before the data is downloaded for transfer to the new GP system, the only
place that the record will be preserved is on that practice’s old system.(apart
from any print-outs or GP2GP record transfers which lack audit trails).<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>How does the CEA deal with computer evidence when the
organisation/individual concerned has changed systems – and does anyone
have any references to cases which might be relevant to the GP situation?<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>The additional twist in GP records is that for an infant at
birth, problems can be raised up to 3 years after the age of maturity –
or indefinitely if the infant is sufficiently damaged to never reach mental
competence…<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>Genuine enquiry – topic was raised regarding GP
records and keeping a copy of the database in an old system: I don’t
think it has been decided in court – yet – so I wondered whether
there was non-medical case law which might be applicable.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>Mary Hawking<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>GP<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
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