Patients’ health and care records in Coventry and Warwickshire will soon be available electronically to authorised health and social care practitioners.

It will mean a doctor in a hospital, or a paramedic who attends a 999 call will be able to access the same crucial information as a GP, such as details of allergies and current medications, bringing potentially life-saving benefits.

“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,” said Dr Alec Price-Forbes, Chief Clinical Information Officer (CCIO) for Coventry and Warwickshire Health and Care Partnership.

“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.”

Currently, local health and care services hold separate pieces of information about patients which isn’t 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.

Practitioners will have access to a comprehensive and up-to-date record for their patients’ medical and care needs, making care safer and reducing duplication. 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.”

To inform local people a public engagement campaign has been launched which will run throughout September and October 2020. The campaign is an opportunity for people to share their views on an Integrated Care Record and get involved in the onward development of the initiative. 

The Coventry and Warwickshire Integrated Care Record programme will be rolled out across the local health and care economy during Autumn 2020. 

For more information, please visit the website: www.happyhealthylives.uk/our-priorities/digital-transformation/integrated-care-record/