Summary Care Record & Record Sharing

NHS Summary Care Record and Additional Information

Your Summary Care Record (SCR) is a copy of key information held in your GP record. It provides authorised healthcare staff with faster, secure access to essential information about you – when you need unplanned care or when your GP practice is closed.

Summary Care Records will assist healthcare staff who may be treating you now and in the future. This can improve your experience of care and also the safety and quality of that care.

Your SCR already contains important information about any medicines you are taking, any allergies you suffer from and any bad reactions to medicines that you have previously experienced. You may want other details about your care to be added to your SCR – this is called Additional Information.

What is Additional Information?

Additional information is a summary of the information recorded by your GP practice about you and will include the following (when this is present in your GP health record):

Your long term health conditions such as asthma, diabetes, heart problems or rare medical conditions.

Your relevant medical history – clinical procedures that you have had, why you need a particular medicine, the care you are currently receiving and clinical advice to support your future care.

Your health care preferences – you may have your own care preferences which will make caring for you more in line with your needs, such as special dietary requirements.

Your personal preferences – you may have personal preferences, such as religious beliefs or legal decisions that you would like to be known.

Immunisations – details of previous vaccinations, such as tetanus and routine childhood jabs.

Specific sensitive information such as any fertility treatments, sexually transmitted infections, pregnancy terminations or gender reassignment will not be included, unless you specifically ask for any of these items to be included.

How will Additional Information help me?

Essential details about your healthcare can be very difficult to remember, particularly when you are unwell. Having additional information in your SCR means that when you need healthcare, you will be helped to recall this vital information.

There are already clear benefits for your care from having medication, allergy and adverse reaction information available through your SCR. If you choose to add additional information, this can further increase the quality of your care. Additional information can also empower you if you need some help to communicate your complex care needs.

How do I include Additional Information in my Summary Care Record?

Your GP practice may recognise that having additional information in your SCR will be of benefit to you and may suggest this change. Alternatively, you can discuss your wishes with your GP practice and agree that information should be added to your SCR.

Additional information will only be included in your SCR after discussion between you and your GP practice, and only if you give your permission.

Once you have chosen to add additional information to your SCR, your GP practice will continue to do this and keep it up to date. Remember that you can change your mind at any time by simply informing your GP practice.

Children and the Summary Care Record

If you are the parent or guardian of a child under 16 and feel that they are old enough to understand, then you should make the information in this leaflet available to them and support them to come to a decision as to whether to supplement their SCR with additional information. If your child cannot understand and you believe that they may benefit from additional information in their SCR, then you can discuss this with your GP practice.

Vulnerable patients and carers

Certain vulnerable patient groups such as frail elderly people or those with detailed and complex health problems can particularly benefit from additional information in their SCR. If you are a Carer for another person and believe that they may benefit from additional information in their SCR, then you can discuss this with them and their GP practice.