Michael Matheson supports patients having improved access to their medical records

Michael Matheson has said that he backs patients having better access to their medical records.

The health secretary appeared on a panel at a Holyrood fringe event in partnership with the Royal College of Nursing, the Royal Pharmaceutical Society Scotland, and the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy at the SNP conference in Aberdeen. 

During the event, which focused on how to create a health and social care workforce for the future, Matheson said people “should have access to their medical records”. 

He said: “I think patients should have access to their medical records and in the digital age we should be in a position where that is being facilitated so that you can see exactly what been recorded against your name. 

“And can I just say that I am always very conscious when it comes to the idea of introducing new IT systems as part of big organisational change. That carries a lot of risk.” 

Matheson also pointed to changes he would like to see in social care. 

The health secretary said: “Social care is not as high a priority as health care and people who worked in it were not valued as highly than those in health care. The reality is that the two systems are absolutely interrelated, the completely need one another."

Eileen Mckenna, Scotland associate director of the Royal College of Nursing said she backed any measure to lessen “the reliance on internationally recruited nurses”.

But she added that “we need to be mindful” that it is not just about “growing our own” but also how do we “retain our nursing staff”.