Care professionals in England use an electronic record called the Summary Care Record (SCR). This can provide those involved in your care with faster secure access to key information from your GP record.
Core Information:
If you are/have been registered with a GP practice in England, you will already have an SCR unless you have previously chosen not to have one. It includes your name, address, date of birth and unique NHS Number which helps to identify you correctly. The core SCR holds information about, medicines you are taking, allergies you suffer from; any bad reactions to medicines.
Additional Information:
Your SCR can include more information such as significant medical history (past and present), information about management of long term conditions, immunisations and patient preferences such as end of life care information, particular care needs and communication preferences. You may have personal preferences, such as religious beliefs or legal decisions that you would like to be known and these can be held in your SCR.
Specific sensitive information related to fertility treatments, sexually transmitted infections, pregnancy terminations or gender reassignment will not be included, unless you specifically ask for any of these items to be included.
Essential details about your healthcare can be very difficult to remember, particularly when you are unwell. Having information in your SCR means that when you need healthcare, you will be helped to recall this vital information. There are already clear benefits for patient care from having medication, allergy and adverse reaction information available through SCR. If you choose to have this information in your SCR, this can further increase the quality of your care.
Additional information can also empower you if you need some help to communicate your complex care needs.
Only authorised care professional staff in England who are involved in your direct care can have access to your SCR. Your SCR will not be used for any other purposes. These staff will only see the information they need to do their job, and their details will be recorded every time they look at your record to ensure it is appropriate.
If you are the parent or guardian of a child under 16 you need to provide consent in relation to their records. If you feel they are able to understand this information you should show it to them to support them in coming to a decision about having the information in their SCR.
