Under new temporary legal arrangements brought in during the pandemic, NHSX and NHS Digital have added Additional Information to over 54 million patients’ Summary Care Records in England, up from 3 million records in April 2020.
Most Summary Care Records now provide authorised health and care professionals with more information about a patient's medications, allergies, adverse reactions to medications, medical history, reasons for medications, care plan information and immunisations from their GP record and COVID-19 specific information such as suspected and confirmed status.
This change will increase patient safety and improve patient outcomes by enabling health and care professionals to have better medical information about the patient they are treating at the point of care, and by reducing the time and effort in communicating across different care settings.
Dr Simon Clark, Vice President for Policy, welcomed the changes, saying:
Access to Additional Information on Summary Care Records means paediatricians and other child health professionals in urgent care settings will have immediate access to the information they need to provide the very best quality care to children and young people. This is particularly important in the face of a challenging winter.
As paediatricians, we know how important the full picture is when approaching a patient's care. This access will empower us to provide the quality of care we strive to in each and every shift.