ELECTRONIC patients’ health care records will be available to authorised NHS health professionals in Coventry and Warwickshire this autumn.
A new digital Integrated Care Record (ICR) means that a doctor in hospital, or a paramedic attending a 999 call will be able to access the same crucial information as a GP, such as details of allergies and current medications, meaning potentially life-saving benefits.
Accessible data will include your GP practice medical record, basic care and mental health data, plus any radiology and blood test results.
Dr Alec Price-Forbes, Chief Clinical Information Officer (CCIO) for Coventry and Warwickshire Health and Care Partnership said: “Our patients have consistently told us that they want their health and care records to be available to the professionals who care for them, wherever they are seen. This means they only need to share their story once, so that the right information is available to enable well informed care decisions to be made, based on their individual needs.
“By connecting the information which is held by different providers of health and care services, we will be able to improve the quality, and outcomes for those being cared for across Coventry and Warwickshire. This is the first exciting step towards delivering the technology to enable more integrated care across our region, with the long-term aim of improving the health and well-being of our whole community.”
The Coventry and Warwickshire Integrated Care Record programme will be rolled out in September and October. Local health and care services currently hold separate pieces of information about patients which is not easily accessible between different organisations. With appropriate permissions and consent, this information will be available 24/7 to everyone who needs it to treat a patient via an Integrated Care Record (ICR).
Authorised medics will have access to a comprehensive and up-to-date record for their patients’ medical and care needs, making care safer and reducing duplication, say the NHS. It will prevent patients being asked for information repeatedly and ensure their care preferences are shared and understood by all those caring for them.
Dr Deepika Yadav, Clinical Director for Integrated Care at Coventry and Rugby Clinical Commissioning Group and University Hospital Coventry and Warwickshire, said: “This is about patient safety first-and-foremost. In an emergency it is important that the clinician knows as much about you as possible to make the right decisions about how to treat you.
“But we also hear many times of patients who are frustrated because they need to repeatedly give the same information to people from different parts of the NHS and social care, and delays caused by records not being easily accessible.
“We have worked hard to create care which is better co-ordinated across Coventry and Warwickshire. This shared care record will support new models of care which form part of the delivery of integrated health and social care services that are central to the NHS Long Term Plan.”
A public engagement campaign will run throughout September and October 2020 allowing people to share their views on an Integrated Care Record and get involved in developing the initiative.
For more information go to: happyhealthylives.uk/our-priorities/digital-transformation/integrated-care-record/
