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My Care Record Posted or Updated on 17 Jan 2024

Why has My Care Record been created?

During the My health, My future, My say campaign, you told us you wanted to see better joined-up care. Since then, we have taken great strides in bringing together health and care services in order to improve the experience of patients.

Our next step is to ensure that health and care professionals directly involved in a person’s care have access to the most up-to-date information about them.

What is My Care Record?

My Care Record is a programme which allows you to give health and care professionals permission to access your medical records during your treatment.

The people caring for you need to access information about your health and care, in order to make the best decisions about your diagnosis and treatment. This could include GPs, hospital-based clinicians, nurses, health visitors and social workers.

For this to happen more quickly and to improve the care you receive, a new process has been put in place. This will allow your information to be accessed by different health and care organisations, using existing computer systems.

This does not share your record, but provides health and care professionals, with your permission, access to view your information.

Information will only be accessed with your permission and while you are receiving treatment by a health and care professional.

This would include allowing a hospital doctor to see the medication that a GP has prescribed for you when you go into hospital or allowing a GP to see what care, tests or treatment you received while in hospital.

How is My Care Record accessed?

Previously patient information and care records will have been made available via traditional methods such as secure post, fax or email, which can be slow and, at times, unreliable, and possibly prolong diagnosis and treatment.

My Care Record is accessed via the different and secure health and care computer systems, once you have given your permission. If your record is requested, it collects the information from the different systems and shows the information to the health or care professional treating you.

None of the information it collects is stored and the existing information cannot be altered.

Before any information is collected or displayed, you must give your permission. Your permission is recorded in an Audit trail, which also keeps all access tracked and logged.

My Care Record is ‘read only’ so no information can be stored or saved outside of the original record.

What Information will be made available?

The record accessed is your medical record. Therefore, My Care Record provides up-to date and relevant health and care information about you, at the time you are being treated by a health or care professional.

Examples of information that will be available include:

  • Name, address, NHS Number and phone number
  • Medications
  • Test results and investigations
  • Correspondence
  • Clinical history
  • Emergency department treatment
  • Future and past appointments
  • Health plans and alerts
  • Mental health alerts and diagnoses
  • Social care lead co-ordinator and your care plan.

What are the benefits of My Care Record?

By making your information available across the health and care system, your GP practice, hospital team or community nurse will be able to see the most up-to-date, accurate information about you and be able to make better and quicker decisions about your care.

This will be especially helpful when care is being provided by a range of professionals, is unplanned or in an emergency.

It will allow health and care professionals directly involved in your care to work with you to make safe and fully informed decisions.

As well as providing you with seamless, safer and quicker treatment, it also means you do not have to give the same information to lots of different people, so more time can be spent on your care.

It will provide:

  • Better co-ordinated and seamless care
  • Quicker diagnosis and treatment
  • More time to spend on clinical care
  • Less paperwork and less repetition
  • Fewer unnecessary clinical tests
  • More accurate prescriptions
  • Safe and secure decision-making

Who can view my record?

Only health and care professionals who are directly involved in your care will have access to your record, with your permission. You will be asked your permission before a professional can access your record.

In an emergency, e.g. a patient seriously ill or injured in A&E. It may not be possible for you to give your permission to access your record, however, there are strict guidelines for accessing a record without your permission. Each time a health and care professional accesses your information there will be a clear record of it.

If you require any further information please visit ww.mycarerecord.org.uk

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