The Register says Professor Anderson (right) notes that a similar system was abused when it was introduced in Scotland by a rogue medic who snooped into the medical records of health records of prime minister Gordon Brown and SNP leader Alex Salmond, but was spared prosecution for hacking because of his own medical problems.

The SCR scheme is billed as a means for medical staff to have easier access to information on whether patients are allergic to drugs such as penicillin, but even this limited ambition is liable to fail.

"It won’t be available abroad (or even in Scotland) so if you are allergic to penicillin you’d better keep on wearing your dogtag," says Anderson.