NHS Summary Care Records
Wolverhampton City PCT is taking part in a new initiative called the NHS Summary Care Record.
This new service is part of the National Programme for Information Technology, NHS Care Record Service.
What is the NHS Summary Care Record?
The Summary Care Record allows doctors, nurses and other healthcare professional to view patients’ vital health information, such as medication and allergies, and also means that information can be shared between practices, hospitals and other out-of-hours settings.
When is this happening in Wolverhampton?
Following communications with patients, Wolverhampton City PCT will be introducing the Summary Care Record across the City.
If you are a patient (aged 15 and a half years or over on 26th March 2010) who is registered with a GP Practice in Wolverhampton then you should have received an information pack which consists of:
- A letter explaining the Summary Care Record and details of where to access further information
- A leaflet that explains the benefits of the Summary Care Record, how information is kept secure and how information can be viewed:
English, Farsi, French, Polish, Spanish, Gujarati, and Urdu - An order form to access materials in different formats such as audio and braille and different languages, with a freepost envelope
You have the option to opt-out of the Summary Care Record; you will need to contact your GP Practice and complete a form to confirm that you do not wish to have a Summary Care Record.
Click here to download the opt-out form
Other useful links:
- What patients have said about the Summary Care Record
- What NHS staff have said about the Summary Care Record
Who can see my Summary Care Record?
Anyone wanting to look at your clinical care records:
- must be involved in caring for you;
- must have an NHS Smartcard, with a chip and a passcode;
- will only see the information they need to see to do their job; and
- will have their details recorded – who they are and if they added or changed any of your information (you can ask to see this)
If a care team is looking after you, it may include care staff such as people from social services, education or a private hospital. If they have access to your NHS Care Records, we should tell you. Anyone caring for you outside the NHS must still meet all of our conditions for keeping your information confidential and secure, if they have access to your NHS Care Records.
Patient Experiences
Helping Colin get the right treatment away from home
- Colin Greenhall lives in Kingswinford in the West Midlands, and likes to travel around the UK on holiday with his wife.
After a spell in hospital Colin was diagnosed with several complex health conditions which meant taking 15 types of medication.
A Summary Care Record is an emergency care summary that will give healthcare staff faster, easier access to essential information about you, to help provide you with safer treatment when you need urgent care such as when are away from home, like Colin, or when your GP practice is closed.
Click here to read more about how a Summary Care Record could benefit Colin.
Summary Care Record helps Adrian manage his care
- Adrian Ball lives in South Birmingham and was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) in his early twenties.
Adrian says that he would have had more confidence and better ownership of his illness if he had a Summary Care Record when he was first diagnosed. He used to have to write notes of his illness on paper so that he could hand this to the doctors if he went into hospital.
Having a Summary Care Record means that he will not have to do this anymore.
Click here to read more about how a Summary Care Record benefits Adrian.
Supporting Patient Care during Out of Hours
- A patient was admitted to Medway Maritime Hospital to the acute elderly care ward with worsening heart failure. It had not been possible for the patient to bring a supply or list of her regular medication with her to the Medical Assessment Unit at the hospital before being transferred to the Elderly Care ward.
Find out how medical staff used Summary Care Records to ensure that the patient received the appropriate care and medication.
Do I have to have a Summary Care Record?
There is lots of information available to help you make this decision. Whatever you decide, the NHS will do its best to provide you with safe, efficient care whether or not you have a Summary Care Record.
Where can I find out more about the Summary Care Record?
You can find out more about your Summary Care Record by asking at your GP surgery.
Other sources of information are:
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