Summary Care Record

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Please note that these records are NOT CONNECTED with the Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC) single database care data project, and will be used ONLY for the purpose of enabling informed care to be supplied directly to you as an individual.

Your patient record is held securely and confidentially in the electronic system at your GP practice. If you require treatment in another NHS healthcare setting such as an emergency department or minor injury unit, those treating you would be better able to give you the appropriate care if some of the information from the GP practice were available to them.

This information can now be shared electronically via the Summary Care Record (used nationally across England) and the Oxfordshire Care Summary (used locally across Oxfordshire)

In both cases, the information will be used only by authorised health care professionals directly involved in your care. Your permission will be asked before the information is accessed, unless the clinician is unable to ask you and there is a clinical reason for access.

A parent or guardian can request to opt out children under 16 but ultimately it is the GP’s decision whether to create the records or not, because of their duty of care to the child. If you are the parent or guardian of a child under 16 and feel that they are able to understand, then you should make this information available to them.

If you would rather opt out of either or both of the records please fill in a form at reception and we will put an entry on your record that will prevent your information from being shared.

Oxfordshire Care Summary

Clinicians from across Oxfordshire have able to access the Oxfordshire Care Summary. The Oxfordshire Care Summary is a single electronic view of specific, up to date, clinical information from your GP record and other records which may be kept to support your care in NHS organisations in Oxfordshire.

If you have an Oxfordshire Care Summary, clinicians will be able to check medical details that are held by your GP. These will include any significant diagnoses you may have, and what medication you take, or have recently. They will also be able to check on what tests your GP has carried out. They will not be able to see information about conversations you have had with your GP or information on sensitive subjects such as sexual health.

They will also be able to see information about treatment that you have received at the Horton or John Radcliffe Hospitals, attendances at Minor Injury Units and GP Out of Hour services, and some documents, such as, care plans.

The information will be used to ensure you get the safest treatment as quickly as possible.

Further information on the Oxfordshire Care Summary can be found here.

Summary Care Records

Today, records are kept in all the places where you receive care. These places can usually only share information from your records by letter, email, fax or phone. At times, this can slow down treatment and sometimes make it hard to access information.

Summary Care Records are being introduced to improve the safety and quality of patient care. Because the Summary Care Record is an electronic record, it will give healthcare staff faster, easier access to essential information about you, and help to give you safe treatment during an emergency or when your GP surgery is closed.

For example, a person who lives in London is on holiday in Brighton. One evening, they’re knocked unconscious in a car accident and taken to an accident and emergency (A&E) department. Under the current system of storing health records, it would be difficult for A&E staff to find out whether there are any important factors to consider when treating the person (such as any serious allergies to medications), especially as their GP surgery is likely to be closed. If healthcare staff cannot get the relevant health information quickly, some patients may be at risk.

A Summary Care Record is an electronic record that’s stored at a central location. As the name suggests, the record will not contain detailed information about your medical history, but will only contain important health information, such as:

• whether you’re taking any prescription medication
• whether you have any allergies
• whether you’ve previously had a bad reaction to any medication

Recently a new option has been made available and patients can now opt in to a more extensive Summary Care Record; to include significant problems and procedures, immunisations and End of Life care.

Access to your Summary Care Record will be strictly controlled. The only people who can see the information will be healthcare staff directly involved in your care who have a special smartcard and access number (like a chip-and-pin credit card).

Healthcare staff will ask your permission every time they need to look at your Summary Care Record. If they cannot ask you, e.g. because you’re unconscious, healthcare staff may look at your record without asking you. If they have to do this, they will make a note on your record.

Further information on the Summary Care Records can be found here.

Care Data

Confidential information from your medical records can be used by the NHS to improve the services offered so we can provide the best possible care for everyone.

This information along with your postcode and NHS number (but not your name), are sent to a secure system where it can be linked with other health information.

This allows those planning NHS services or carrying out medical research to use information from different parts of the NHS in a way which does not identify you.

You have a choice

If you are happy for your information to be used in this way you do not have to do anything. If you have any concerns or wish to prevent this from happening, please speak to practice staff or download a copy of the leaflet “How information about you helps us to provide better care” below, as well as FAQs.

More information can be found here