Current policy permits parents of children who are not yet competent to decide for themselves to request that their children are not provided with a summary care record. The decision about whether or not to create a summary care record for a child is made by the child’s general practitioner, informed by the parent’s wishes, acting in the best interests of the child. A small number of children have not been provided with a summary care record following parental requests.
The policy is presently being reviewed in the context of the safeguarding children agenda, in consultation with the Department for Children, Schools and Families and the National Information Governance Board.