Statement of Intent Regarding IT Developments
Since 1 April 2014, new contractual requirements have been in place for GP practices to publicly declare their approach to key IT developments by 30 September 2014. These include:
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Summary Care Record (SCR)
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GP to GP Record Transfers
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Patient Online Access to Their GP Record
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Data for commissioning and other secondary care purposes
Below is our practice’s position on each of these areas.
Summary Care Record (SCR)
NHS England requires practices to enable automated daily updates to patients’ Summary Care Records or to have published plans to achieve this by 31 March 2015.
The Summary Care Record provides healthcare professionals treating you with important information about your medications and allergies when your full medical record is not available.
If you do not wish for your Summary Care Record to be available, please notify us via the opt-out form so that your record can be updated accordingly.
Our practice confirms that your SCR is automatically updated daily to keep your information as current as possible.
GP to GP Record Transfers
When you register with a new GP practice, your medical records need to transfer from your previous practice. NHS England requires the use of the electronic GP2GP transfer system for this purpose (except for temporary registrations).
This system allows your electronic records to be transferred much faster than paper records, which can take up to two weeks.
We confirm that GP to GP electronic record transfers are active at our practice, enabling quick and secure sharing of patient information when you change GP.
Patient Online Access to Their GP Record
Practices are required to promote and offer online access to appointments, prescriptions, allergies, and adverse reactions or have plans to do so by 31 March 2015.
We currently offer online booking and cancellation of appointments, repeat prescription ordering, and access to a summary of your medical record.
If you don’t yet have login details for our online system, please register your interest with reception.
Data for Commissioning and Other Secondary Care Purposes
Under the Health and Social Care Act, GP practices must share appropriate data securely with commissioners and other health and social care organisations for planning and improving services.
We have specific arrangements in place to allow patients to opt out of the care.data scheme, which removes data from the practice for these secondary uses. Please refer to our website’s care.data information page for details.
Our practice undertakes annual training and audits through the Information Governance Toolkit to ensure data is handled safely and in compliance with legal requirements.
If you would like further information or have questions about any of these services, please contact the practice.