Summary Care Record
The Summary Care Record (SCR) in England
Latest News
Download the latest Press Release from the Summary Care Record and Healthspace Programme (13 Oct 2011), which details how several organisations representing patients with various Long Term Conditions are advocating that their members request that their GPs put additional information onto their SCRs, which will be of value to clinicians treating them in an emergency. This advice is being endorsed by Health Minister, Simon Burns and by NHS Medical Director, Professor Sir Bruce Keogh.
What is the Summary Care Record?
The NHS is introducing Summary Care Records (SCRs) across England.
The Summary Care Record (SCR) contains details of a patient’s medications, adverse reactions and allergies, copied from the patient’s GP record. Patients can choose whether or not they wish to have a Summary Care Record. A patient and their doctor can add additional information to the SCR, with explicit agreement from the patient.
In October 2010, a review commissioned by the Minister of State for Health concluded that in an advanced health care system it is reasonable for citizens to expect that, when they arrive in an Emergency Department or require treatment out of hours, clinicians have access to the essential medical information they need to support safe treatment and reduce the risk of inadvertent harm. The SCR is created from the records of organisations already delivering care to a patient. Access to clinical information in the SCR will be useful in settings providing urgent or emergency care, especially when other sources of information are not readily available.
SCR – core dataset: When a patient’s SCR is first created it will contain the following minimum core clinical data set: patient’s medications (including repeat prescriptions, acute prescriptions and repeat medications discontinued in the last six months); known allergies; previous adverse reactions to medications. This information is copied to the SCR from the patient’s GP record. Every patient over the age of 16, registered with a GP practice, is sent a personalised letter together with more detailed information about the SCR, the choices they have and how to exercise choice, which includes the right to decide not to have a SCR created for them.
SCR – additional information: A patient’s SCR may also contain additional information, if the patient wishes to include it and where both the patient and GP believe that this would be of benefit other clinicians who may access the patient’s SCR whilst providing treatment or care in an urgent or emergency setting. Additional information may only be included in the SCR with the patient’s explicit consent. Additional information may include, for example, details about chronic disease management, palliative care needs, medication preferences and could indicate patient preferences and the depth of patient understanding of their condition including any specific instructions, including Advanced Directives (“Living Wills”).
As information in a patient’s GP Summary is updated, a new GP Summary will be automatically generated and this will replace the existing GP Summary in the patient’s SCR. Therefore patients can only have one current version of a GP Summary in their Summary Care Record available for staff providing treatment and care to the patient.
Future decisions about inclusion in the SCR of clinical data from non-GP settings, such as Emergency Departments and Hospital Outpatient Clinics, will be made following consideration by a patient-led governance framework.
Further information about the Summary Care Record Programme can be found by following the following link: http://www.connectingforhealth.nhs.uk/systemsandservices/scr
A national website is available for patients to support them with their queries. As well as detailed information about SCRs the site contains a list of frequently asked questions: www.nhscarerecords.nhs.uk
A Summary Care Record Information Line is in place to answer queries from patients and the public about the introduction of SCRs and can provide translation and text phone services: 0300 123 3020.
The Care Record Guarantee outlines a commitment that NHS organisations and those providing care on behalf of the NHS will use records about patients in ways that respect their rights and promote health and wellbeing. A copy is available from:
http://www.nigb.nhs.uk/guarantee/pubs/nhscrg.pdf