NHS Northamptonshire rolls out new way of connecting health and care records to support everyone in our county

The Northamptonshire Care Record allows providers of health and care services in Northamptonshire to instantly access patient information held by other health and care organisations for the purpose of direct care. This will make it easier for professionals across Northamptonshire to deliver the best possible treatment and support.

This means, for example, a doctor at Kettering General Hospital will be able to instantly access the same important medical information about a patient as their GP, such as vital details of pre-existing health conditions, current medications or allergies. Previously, professionals would often have to rely on phone, email or even post to share important facts about patients.

Easier access to shared information will prevent patients from having to repeat themselves each time they receive care from a different service or organisation. It could also mean fewer treatment delays. This innovative new system is modernising the way professionals share and access information, at the touch of a button, so that they can provide safer and better health services for the people of Northamptonshire.

The Northamptonshire Care Record launched in October and combines over 829,000 individual patients registered with GP practices in Northamptonshire with patient data from Northampton and Kettering General Hospitals and Northamptonshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust (NHFT).

Eventually the shared records will also include data from other local organisations, including social care providers, the voluntary and community sector, and East Midlands Ambulance Service.

Feedback and support received from users so far has been positive and within the first eight weeks of launching the system, almost 5,000 patient records were accessed by health professionals.

Professor Andrew Chilton, Chair of the Northamptonshire Care Record Programme Board, said:

“This new system is currently being used 24 hours a day, seven days a week - it will transform care in Northamptonshire for patients and professionals.

“The project has been a truly engaged collaboration across our local systems and partners and has been underpinned and driven by a united desire to make healthcare better in Northamptonshire.

“Being able to digitally bring together the most up-to-date information held by different health and care providers, means professionals will have faster access to a fuller picture of a patient’s health to be able to make better-informed decisions to help patients receive the right treatment at the right time.

“I cannot emphasise enough the importance of this new system and information sharing, this is a real breakthrough for our county. This new tool will fundamentally change our health and care services, connecting medical records to improve the safety and quality of care people in Northamptonshire receive.”

All records are strictly confidential and can only be accessed by clinical and care staff who are directly involved in an individual’s care.

For further information, please visit www.connectingyourcare.net.