Distington Surgery is Launching ‘Shared Records’
Our practice now has the ability to share some information from your medical records with other health services that provide you with care. This information is limited and is called a ‘shared record’.
Medical records are increasingly being stored on computers. If you give permission, the healthcare professionals you visit in the Copeland area can view your shared record or a relevant section of it on a new computer system. This is done through a secure NHS network, not the internet.
Your shared record will contain a summary of your most up-to-date, relevant health information which includes things such as:
- Your recent diagnosis and test results;
- What allergies you have;
- What medications and treatment you currently receive.
By allowing access to your shared record, you can ensure that healthcare professionals treating you have the most up-to-date and accurate information about your overall health and current treatments.
This will allow healthcare staff to give you better advice and provide safer and more effective care.
It will help to ensure that mistakes are avoided and can also reduce the need for you to give different health services the same information repeatedly.
At the start of your treatment, you will be asked directly for your permission to view your shared record.
Your shared record will only be accessed while you are being treated. You can decline to share your record.
More information
For more information, please download the ‘Changes to your medical records’ leaflet here.
Changes to your medical record
A Question & Answer sheet giving further information is also available to download here.
If you want to discuss sharing sensitive information, or want to disable access to your shared records, please contact your GP Surgery or speak to the healthcare professional treating you. More information is also available at http://www.cumbria.nhs.uk/.