To ask the Secretary of State for Health what access other (a) local and (b) central Government agencies and Departments will have to electronic patient records under the Connecting for Health programme in England. (107596)

Access to records will not be permitted to organisations not involved in delivering care to national health service patients.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans have been made to integrate English and Welsh patient records systems after Connecting for Health goes ahead in England. (107597)

The devolved Administration in Wales has adopted different approaches to the development of information technology support in the health service in Wales from those being delivered through the national programme for information technology to the national health service in England, based on its own functional requirements, administrative arrangements, and assessment of priorities.

However, through the United Kingdom (UK) information management and technology forum, and the NHS information standards board, national programme officials work closely with officials in the National Assembly for Wales to ensure common standards and interoperability of clinical information systems; and where appropriate, information can be exchanged between the health services quickly, safely and securely. There are a number of working groups involving officials and experts from the four UK health administrations with the specific objective of ensuring compatibility between systems and, where appropriate, the adoption of common solutions.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health who will audit the use of Connecting for Health electronic patient records in England. (107598)

NHS Connecting for Health is providing local national health service organisations with the tools to ensure that the use of local electronic patient records will be fully auditable. All users will have to have a smartcard—a secure token that, together with a password, confirms the identity of a user. They are issued only when satisfactory evidence of identity and residence is provided in accordance with the e-Government interoperability framework (eGif) level 3 standards for the registration and authentication of staff. NHS Connecting for Health smartcards provide a unique digital identity that enables systems to know precisely who each user is and what access to patient records they are permitted. They also enable systems to create an audit trail of user activity. Responsibility for ensuring that staff comply with required information governance practice, investigating incidents and conducting audits of activity will continue to rest, as now, with local NHS organisations.