NHS Care Records
How the NHS stores and uses your medical record
The last few years have seen many developments in the electronic information systems used by the NHS. This can at times seem confusing. In order for you to make decisions about how your own medical record is used it is important for you to understand who may have access to it and what your medical information may be used for.
Prospect Road Surgery holds your full medical record on an electronic system called SystmOne. The NHS Care Record system has three main areas. This started with the development of the Summary Care Record (SCR), and very recently the development of what is known as the enhanced Data Sharing Model (eDSM), and also the Care Data programme. These are explained below.
Summary Care Record (SCR)
All households should have received information about the SCR a few years ago. This included an explanation of the system and an opt out form to enable you to choose not to have an SCR.
The SCR is for use in emergency care situations. It will enable the clinical staff treating you in an emergency to access information about your current medications, any allergies you may have, and any bad reactions to medicines that you have or may potentially experience. This will prevent mistakes being made when caring for you in an emergency. You should always be asked by the person treating you to give your consent to access your SCR, unless you are medically unable to do so.
Prospect Road Surgery has not yet been through the process to have information from the medical records they hold transferred onto this system. If you do NOT wish to have an SCR and you have not yet given the surgery your opt -out form you can download a form and more information by accessing the website addresses shown below. Please complete the form and hand it in at the Reception desk on your next visit to the surgery. If you do not have internet access you can request a form and more information at the Reception desk.
If you do not give us an opt out form it is assumed that you DO want your record to be uploaded onto the central system.
New patients can opt out of the SCR by filling in an opt out form at the time of registration which is available in our practice leaflet.
SCR information leaflet
SCR Opt out form
Electronic Data Sharing Model (eDSM)
All of the organisations that provide care for you have their own electronic systems for storing your information. Sometimes these organisations need to share information about you in order to help care for you. Currently the way to communicate this information is via fax, email, letter or by telephone. For example, if you receive care from the hospital a letter about this will be sent to the surgery to be placed on your medical record.
The Electronic Data Sharing Model (eDSM) will allow other NHS organisations that care for you to access your full medical record held by the surgery. You can opt to have certain items kept private from these organisations, or even not to share your record at all. When you visit the surgery you will be asked to consent to sharing your record with the other NHS organisations caring for you. This is known as ‘sharing out’.
The practice is also able to view all of the records held by other NHS organisations where you have given them your consent to share them with us. This is known as ‘sharing in’. The practice policy is to indicate ‘sharing in’ for all of our patients. This enables our GP’s and clinical staff to gain a complete picture of the care you are receiving. Thiswill benefit you as it will give us faster ways to communicate with other NHS organisations about your health needs by preventing delays in obtaining information.
You have been given an information leaflet explaining the eDSM in more detail and also a consent form along with this information. Please complete your form and tick the box to show us whether or not you consent to us sharing your record. Please hand your completed form in at the Reception desk.
Care Data Programme
Throughout January 2014 all households in England will receive information about this data service from the Health and Social Care Information centre (HSCIC).
The Health and Social Care Act 2012 (so this is a legal right) allows the HSCIC to collect information from all providers of NHS care, including our surgery, on behalf of NHS England. This information will help build a picture of health across the country that the NHS can then use in order to shape the health services available to us.
Initially your NHS number, date of birth, postcode and gender will be collected by the HSCIC. Other data to then be extracted from the practice will be clinical data such as your family history of illnesses and diseases, the vaccinations you have had, any diagnoses of illnesses, your blood pressure, BMI and Cholesterol, any referrals to other services, and your NHS prescriptions. You can opt out of having your data extracted by visiting the website addresses shown belowand downloading the opt- out form. There are also website addresses shown below where you can find more information about the Care Data Programme, and also a link to the Care Data website. If you do not have internet access you can ask for a hard copy of this information at the Reception desk.
Patient Information leaflet care.data/2%20cd%20patient%20information%20leaflet.pdf
Frequently asked questionscare.data/6%20cd-patient-faqs.pdf
Opt out form
NHS England » Care.data – modern data service for the NHS