The Professional Records Standards Body has published a new standard to outline the core information to be shared in a person’s care record.
Following a consultation process with over 1,500 professionals and organisations the new standard determines the vital information about a person that should be shared between health and care systems so care is safer, timely and more effective.
The government has highlighted recently that interoperability and sharing information is a key priority to ensure the right care and information about people is safely shared between different systems across health and social care.
PRSB worked with NHS England to understand the information that needs to be shared and has produced a core information standard to define exactly what should be shared.
The standard includes a wide range of information from different services, including the GP, hospitals, social care and mental health services among others. It will incorporate an ‘about me’ section, which outlines what people want professionals to know about their care, as well as other crucial information, such as allergies, medications and alerts. Once implemented, it will mean that everyone involved in a person’s care, including the patient, carer and guardian, will have access to relevant data. As a result, people won’t have to repeat their history and services can deliver tailored, personalised care. It will be piloted in regions across the UK, as part of the Local Health and Care Record programme.
90% of participants in the research agreed that joining up digital health and care information will lead to better, safer and more personalised services across the UK. Around 80% of respondents also supported personalising care through use of an ‘about me’ section in their care records.
The first regions that have been selected to pilot the standard are Greater Manchester, Thames Valley and Surrey, Wessex, One London and Yorkshire and Humber.
Professor Maureen Baker, PRSB chair, said “As a GP, providing safe, high quality care for my patients depends on having the latest information from colleagues in hospital and the community about my patients’ care. That is why I am so pleased that PRSB has produced the core information standard and why I am so keen it is in use as soon as possible. Having up-to-date information helps me make better clinical decisions and work more effectively with other services and it helps people stay closer to home with more control of their own health and care.”
