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3 February 2017

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Online patient record hits milestone

Electronic records of important patient information created from GP medical data has hit a milestone of 100,000 views in one week, according to NHS Digital.

The Summary Care Record (SCR) contains important information authorised by the patient, including current medication, allergies, previous reactions to medication and end-of-life care information.

More than 96 % of the population has an SCR. It can be viewed by staff involved in the patient’s care from various areas of the health and care system through NHS Digital’s Spine web portal.

Use of the system is increasing among secondary care providers, according to NHS Digital, and 99 % of all GP practices now contribute to it.

Dr Mark Simpson, clinical director of acute and emergency medicine at Hull and East Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust, added: ‘Since Hull and East Yorkshire hospitals went live with our electronic patient records, the uptake of the summary care record by staff has gone from approximately 500 cases per week to 2,500 cases per week.

‘This is largely down to the ease of use of the summary care record, and has resulted in improved patient care.’

Head of implementation and business change at NHS Digital, Eve Roodhouse, said:‘The Summary Care Record is a valuable application to quickly enable clinicians to view essential information, saving time, money and potentially lives.

‘It’s fantastic to hit 100,000 views in a week. We continue to work with care providers across the health and social care system to help them make the most of the Summary Care Record and are looking forwards to seeing usage continue to grow.’