NHS Summary Care Records to be made available to 170,000 patients

Date published: 14 February 2012

Patients in the Rochdale borough who need emergency care will soon be able to benefit from a scheme that gives healthcare staff quicker, easier access to important information about them.

The NHS Summary Care Record, which is being introduced in the area, contains key health information about a patient’s medication, allergies and any previous bad reactions to medicines. This information can make all the difference to ensuring safe treatment in an emergency when no other information is available, for example, when a patient’s GP practice is closed.

So far, 5 practices have written to their patients to inform them about Summary Care Records. On Monday 20 February, a further 170,000 patients will be given the chance to take part when a further 35 practices will write to their patients to explain their options.

Patients have the right to opt out of having a Summary Care Record and can do so easily by filling out an opt form, which is included in the letter being sent to them, using the freepost business reply service.

Access to Summary Care Records is being rolled out to urgent care centres, out of hours GP services and Hospital emergency departments across England. This means that if a patient is taken ill on holiday, they can be sure that the clinical staff treating them will have access to vital information about their health. Locally, Bury and Rochdale Doctors on Call and Fairfield General Hospital are able to access Summary Care Records whilst plans are in place to roll out access to more NHS services in the coming months.

Safeguards are in place to ensure that these records remain secure and confidential. Healthcare staff must be involved in the patient’s care to access the Summary Care Record and they first have to ask the patient’s permission before a record can be viewed. Unlike paper records, an audit trail is generated when a record is viewed.

Dr Nick Dawes, Medical Director, NHS Heywood, Middleton and Rochdale said:“I am pleased that patients in the Rochdale borough will soon be given the opportunity to benefit from having a Summary Care Record. This is a major step forward in making vital information available to those treating a patient in an emergency.

“By making information about medicines and allergies available to clinical staff we can avoid adding to the stress of elderly or confused patients who are asked to remember these details when they need urgent care. The information held in Summary Care Records is potentially lifesaving and will help to improve patient care in the area.”