There are currently two ways that your data can be shared:
- Summary Care Record
- Enhanced Sharing
This is a brief outline of what each way of sharing means.
Each method is distinct and has its own opt in or opt out method.
Summary Care Record
The summary care record is meant to help emergency doctors and nurses help you when you contact them when the surgery is closed. It will contain your medication, allergies, vaccinations, anticipatory care and end of life information.
Later on as system develops, other staff who work in the NHS will be able to access it along with information from hospitals, out of hours services, and specialists letters that may be added as well.
Your information will be extracted from practices such as ours and held on central NHS databases.
As with all systems there are pros and cons to think about. When you speak to an emergency doctor you might overlook something that is important and if they have access to your medical record it might avoid mistakes or problems, although even then, you should be asked to give your consent each time a member of NHS Staff wishes to access your record, unless you are medically unable to do so.
Please complete our Summary Care Record Opt Out form is you wish to stop sharing your summary care record.
Enhanced Sharing
We use a system that is widely used in this area and across England. This system gives the facility (The Enhanced Data Sharing Model – EDSM) to share your health record with other health providers involved in your care.
You will be able to choose whether to share these full medical details with other health provider units (for example District Nurses) or not.
Sharing your health record will help us deliver the best level of care for you.
You have two choices which allow you to control how your record is shared. You can change these choices at any time.
Sharing Out
This controls whether your information recorded at this practice can be shared with other health care providers.
Sharing In
This determines whether or not this practice can view information in your record that has been entered by other services who are providing care for you or who may provide care for you in the future (that you have consented to share out).
You can decide whether you want to securely share any of your information recorded in the practice with other NHS Services – this is known as ‘sharing out’.
You are also able to control whether any information which has been recorded elsewhere can be viewed by your GP – this is known as ‘sharing in’.