Your GP medical record is the most complete record of your health and wellbeing.
But, did you know that when you visit a hospital, access mental health or out-of-hours services, or need an ambulance, those treating you cannot access your record?
Your local NHS feels that those involved in your care should be able to see vital information about you to improve the care that you receive, which is why Your Care Connected is being introduced across Birmingham, Sandwell and Solihull.
Your Care Connected is a new system which will allow doctors, nurses and other registered healthcare professionals caring for you to view information from your GP record, with your permission, to provide you with better, safer care – it could even save your life.
Your Care Connected will deliver a number of benefits directly to patients. These include:
- Faster and easier access to your medical information, which could save your life
- No need to remember information such as the medication you take or the dosage, any recent medical tests you’ve had and the results or which doctor you saw last
- Less time spent filling in forms
- More secure than your GP sending your record via fax or post to the participating organisations
- Enables safer delivery of care in an emergency by giving those treating you all the information they need, when they need it most.
When you visit one of the organisations below, the person treating you will ask for your permission to view information from your GP record using Your Care Connected. This will help to provide you with better, safer care:
- Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health Foundation Trust
- Birmingham City Hospital (Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust)
- Good Hope Hospital (Heart of England NHS Foundation Trust)
- Heartlands Hospital (Heart of England NHS Foundation Trust)
- Queen Elizabeth Hospital (University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust)
- Sandwell General Hospital (Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust)
- Solihull Hospital (Heart of England NHS Foundation Trust)
Birmingham Children’s Hospital(Birmingham Women’s and Children’s NHS Foundation Trust)- Birmingham Community Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust
These organisations are planning to implement the Your Care Connected service soon - check back regularly for updates:
Health professionals treating you at one of the organisations above will only view the parts of your medical record listed below and only with your permission. If you agree to give them access for the purposes of treating you, it will provide them with a host of important information, including:
- Allergies
- Medication
- Hospital admissions and referrals
- Vaccinations and immunisations
- Test results
- Diagnoses
- Treatments
- Medical procedures
- End of life wishes
- Personal information (age, gender etc.)
- Concerns related to abuse of vulnerable children or adults (if applicable).
Your Care Connected does not share everything from your GP record. This is because we follow national guidance on patient confidentiality and the sharing of sensitive information. As a result, Your Care Connected does not currently share any information relating to:
- IVF treatment
- HIV and AIDS
- Sexually transmitted infections
- Gender reassignment
- Termination of pregnancy.
Free text from your GP record – that is, the notes your GP makes in your record when you visit them – is also not currently shared using Your Care Connected.
For more information visit the Your Care Connected website or read the Your Care Connected patient leaflet.
You can also email the team at InfoMidlandsYourCareConnected@nhs.net or call 0333 150 3388 to leave us a message on our Freephone voicemail service and we will get back to you as soon as possible.