Summary Care Records
A summary care record is your electronic patient record which is held centrally on the NHS database and can be accessed by other health care providers if required when caring for you in another healthcare setting eg. hospital. Your Summary Care Record (SCR) enables NHS clinicians across the UK to view, with your consent, basic information about your health status electronically.
This could be useful in an emergency. For example, should you be taken ill on holiday elsewhere in the UK, a doctor could view a list of your current medication and allergies to help administer correct and appropriate treatment. SCR rules state that clinicians must ask for your consent before accessing your SCR and must do this while being within the same room/ward as you. All SCR access is audited to ensure no unauthorised access has taken place.
Currently your SCR is limited to only providing clinicians with a list of your current medication and allergies. In the future you will also have the opportunity to allow clinicians to view a list of your significant medical conditions.
SCRs are stored within the encrypted NHS computer network and only accessible from a NHS computer terminal. SCRs can be turned on/off at your request and this change takes place instantly once you inform us.
The aim of a SCR is to improve the level of health care you receive from the NHS. For more information, please visit the SCR website www.NHSCareRecords.nhs.uk
What if I don't want a Care Summary Record?
It's not compulsory to have one and you can choose to opt out of the scheme by downloading the following form and bringing it to the surgery.