The NHS is changing how patient information is stored and shared in England, to provide better care for patients. All the settings where you receive healthcare keep their own medical records about you. Your local hospital, for example, can only share information with your GP surgery by letter, fax or phone. At times, this can delay information sharing, affect decision making and slow down treatment.

Patient’s summary care records held at their GP surgery will be available to access by authorised healthcare staff in out-of-hours or urgent care settings. The SCR is an electronic summary of patient’s key clinical information – medications, allergies and adverse reactions. SCRs will improve the safety and quality of your care by providing the appropriate staff member with faster, secure access to essential information about you when you need unplanned care or when your GP practice is closed.

This will avoid inappropriate care such as wrong medications and unnecessary admissions and lead to more efficient sharing of patient information, saving clinical time communicating between services.

You may want to add other details to your SCR. This will only happen if both you and your GP agree to do this. If you wish for any additional information to be included, please put this in writing to our Operations Manager – Mrs Dominique Lewsey.

Patients will be asked for their permission to view their SCR before it is accessed. If you are unable to provide your consent (for example if you are unconscious), the staff member may look at your record if they consider this to be in your best interest.

Access to a patient’s SCR is a highly auditable process and if your record is accessed without your permission the decision is recorded and checked to ensure that it was appropriate.

If you wish to opt out of the summary care record, please complete our Summary Care Record Opt Out form.

Please visit the Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC) for more information.