In mid and south Essex, we’re changing the way your health and care information is managed to ensure you get the best, safest care possible. To help achieve this, we will be launching a Shared Care Record in Spring 2024. This will join up the separate care records held by different health and care organisation into one structured and easy-to-read format.
This new digital system will bring together essential details about your care, including things like GP visits, illnesses, hospital admissions, and treatments. In the future, the people looking after you will have a clear picture of your health and care history. This will help them to provide the best possible care for you.
Having records scattered in different places has led to delays and created challenges. But with the new Shared Care Record, doctors, paramedics, and other professionals will have instant access to crucial information, such as allergies or medications. Not only does this help you get more timely treatments, in emergencies it could prove lifesaving.
Hear from local health and social care professionals
MSE Shared Care Record: delivering better, more joined-up care
Voiceover: People living in mid and south Essex are set to receive better connected care and safer treatment, thanks to the introduction of the Mid and South Essex Shared Care Record.
Health and social care professionals need access to essential information about a person to deliver the best possible care. This information is often fragmented across the multiple health and social care records managed by various organisations including hospitals, GP practices, local authorities among others.
The Shared Care Record introduces a secure digital solution to bridge this gap. It consolidates key information from a person’s various health and social care records into one structured and easy-to-read platform.
Hear from local professionals about what the introduction of the Shared Care Record means to them and the people they care for.
Dr Deepa Shanmugasundaram, GP in Mid Essex and Chief Clinical Information Officer for Primary Care at Mid and South Essex Integrated Care Board says, “As a GP, I currently need to navigate multiple systems to gather important information about a patient. The Shared Care Record will consolidate crucial information in one place, giving me more immediate access to their medical and social care histories.
This insight is crucial for coordinating effectively with other care providers, whether they are specialists, hospital staff, or social care workers. Understanding a patient’s social care is crucial, especially for those with frailty or long-term conditions. Being aware of key carers and existing support packages enables us to blend this with medical care, tailoring our approach to suit their daily life and challenges. This comprehensive perspective ensures care decisions are well-informed and holistic.”
Sam Neville, Chief Nursing Information Officer at Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust: “I’m excited about the introduction of the Mid and South Essex Shared Care Record. At its core, the Shared Care Record is a digital tool for us to better understand and respond to our patients’ healthcare needs – whether it’s managing chronic conditions or the more subtle aspects of daily care. By providing a more holistic view of each patient’s health and social care journey, it enables our teams to make more informed decisions aimed at enhancing patient outcomes.
This instant access to comprehensive information could greatly enhance our ability to make swift, informed decisions, directly impacting patient safety. Examples include the ability to make rapid decisions in our emergency department, precise adjustments to medications, and ensuring safe and well-coordinated discharges, among others.
Jude ODonoghue, Senior Social Worker and Approved Mental Health Professional at Southend City Council says “As a social care professional, the Shared Care Record is set to transform the way we support our clients. Having access to comprehensive and up-to-date information is vital. With this new tool, I’ll have immediate access to essential health and care information, allowing for more informed and holistic support.
This means I will be able to see important details like a client’s recent hospital visits, medication changes, or updates in their care plans. It will enable me to provide more targeted and effective assistance, ensuring that the social care we provide is seamlessly integrated with their healthcare.
The Shared Care Record is more than just a tool – it’s a bridge connecting the crucial aspects of health and social care, ensuring every individual receives the best possible support.”
Voiceover: If you’d like to know more about the Shared Care Record, please visit www.midandsouthessexics.nhs.uk/sharedcarerecord
Beyond just providing access to information, the Shared Care Record will help us to deliver more tailored care. Instead of retelling your health story every time you see a different specialist, they’ll already have access to a lot of this information. This holistic approach helps deliver more personalised care and can help to ease transitions between NHS and social care services.
It’s not just about better care – it’s also about efficiency. Instead of wasting time hunting down bits of information, health and care professionals will have the information they need at their fingertips. That speeds up decisions and ensures you get the care you need faster.
Your privacy is a top priority for us. All information in the Shared Care Record remains confidential and only accessible to those directly involved in your care. It is also safeguarded by Role-Based Access Control (RBAC), ensuring that only authorised people have access to specific information. The Shared Care Record pulls together data from different systems by getting the systems to talk to each other. It does not store any data itself, and your information won’t be used for planning or research.
If you would like to know more about our overall approach to improving care by joining up health and care information, please visit My Care Record:
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