Patients in Hastings are to receive faster, more efficient health care with the introduction of a new online service.
The NHS Summary Care Records (SCR) programme will allow patients to choose to have a secure electronic record containing key health information about them.
These details would be drawn from a patient’s GP record and could be added to as necessary by other health care staff treating the patient, ensuring vital information is easily at hand.
The scheme will give doctors and nurses access to information about:
- patients’ allergies and medication
- any bad reactions patients may have had to medication in the past
- other key information which may be of use.
Summary care records will ensure that medical professionals have details of a patients’ essential medical history in the event of an emergency.
It is important to stress that a summary care record will only be accessible by staff directly involved in a patient’s treatment.
Also, patients have the option not to be part of the scheme, in which case healthcare staff will continue to record details as before and it will only be available to the GP and staff in their surgery.
The summary care record is part of a national programme to transform how the NHS uses information to support patient care.
NHS Connecting for Health, a national agency of the Department of Health, is supporting local NHS organisations to deliver the scheme.
GP practices in Hastings and Rother are introducing summary care records for their patients in a phased programme beginning with Roebuck House in Hastings.
Lisa Compton, Director of Assurance and Engagement for NHS Hastings and Rother commented:
"The Summary Care record will be of great benefit to all patients in our area.
Important health information is held in GP surgeries and it will really help patients when this is made available to doctors and nurses in other healthcare settings, such as hospitals.
This sharing of information will be particularly helpful to patients who have longterm conditions, such as diabetes, where it is important for all those treating them to quickly understand what health problems they have."
Dr John Rowan, a GP at Roebuck House Surgery in Hastings added:
"This is an important development in ensuring that key health information about patients is at hand when needed, and could, most certainly, save lives.
Doctors and nurses, with the patient’s permission, will be able to access information when patients need help and treatment outside of normal surgery hours, for example using a minor injuries centre or visiting Accident and Emergency.
At the best of times it is difficult to remember the names of medication you are taking, the summary care record will provide this along with details of any allergies or previous adverse reactions to medication."
