HOSPITAL chiefs say they will allow GPs access to patient records after a family doctor complained he had trouble getting information on the condition of his own patients.

Dr Stephen Hamilton, who works at Heaton Medical Centre, launched a stinging attack on the controversial Data Protection Act, saying it was so stringent GPs often struggled to find out what their patients had been diagnosed with at the Royal Bolton Hospital.

He said hospital doctors told him that under data protection rules, patient information is confidential.

But the hospital says it has done all it can to rectify the situation.

The Bolton Primary Care Trust, along with the hospital, Bolton Council and Bolton Social Services, is trying to get legal agreement that information can be shared between organisations when necessary, sometimes without patient consent.

At a Primary Care Trust meeting, Dr Hamilton told health chiefs: "We are running a clinical risk as well as a data protection risk if this doesn't happen.

"I have had a situation where one man was discharged from hospital and the doctor in accident and emergency would not tell me what he was diagnosed with because of confidentiality.

"We can't even get information on our own patients and the hospital won't send notes with the patient to us either.

"We are supposed to be a seamless organisation and in seamless services. Surely a person's consent is given within the continuing care they are receiving."

But the Director of Service Provision for Bolton PCT, Mary Cropper, said the problem had been recognised and solved.

She said: "We have done a lot of work with the hospital about this and they have given us a commitment to allow us to access medical records of patients. This was agreed four weeks ago and there is a huge commitment from the hospital to work with us on this. We need to learn from this particular case and find out what happened."

Chair of the Bolton Hospitals NHS Trust Peter Liptrott said: "This is obviously a major problem for both the hospital and PCT."

It was agreed legal advice would be sought for all health trusts in Greater Manchester, rather than just Bolton.

Chair of Bolton PCT Pam Senior said national advice on the matter had not been forthcoming.