First live testing begins for county’s shared care record
Health and care services in Northamptonshire are taking another big step towards fully integrated digital patient records this month – as clinicians begin the first live testing of the Northamptonshire Care Record.
The Northamptonshire Care Record (NCR) is a major digital project to link up existing care records held by local healthcare providers across our county. Its purpose is to ensure any professional who’s directly involved in a patient’s care can instantly access the information they need to support them.
Previously, professionals needing access to patient records held by a different organisation have had to formally request them by secure email or even post, which can be slow and unreliable. This often means people have to tell their story multiple times when receiving care from different services and organisations.
The NCR is modernising the way these records are shared, offering a point-in-time window to information held by other providers whenever it is needed for an individual’s care. This will allow for more informed decision-making by professionals, making it much quicker and easier for people to receive the best possible care and support.
A significant amount of work has been taking place in recent months to integrate the record systems of Northamptonshire’s health and care organisations, and now data from local GP practices, Northampton and Kettering General Hospitals, and Northamptonshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust (NHFT) is now flowing into the NCR.
In September, clinicians in pilot areas will begin using the NCR to access live patient records. Once this testing period is complete, the NCR will be rolled out more widely to clinical users across our health and care organisations. At the same time, work is continuing to incorporate data from other local organisations, including social care, the voluntary and community sector, and ambulance services.
Professor Andrew Chilton, Chair of the Northamptonshire Care Record Programme Board, said: “This is another really important moment in our journey to establish a fully integrated digital record system for Northamptonshire’s heath and care service users – and in turn enable professionals to provide the best possible care more quickly and easily.
“Our project team have been working really hard behind the scenes to ensure data from all the relevant healthcare providers is flowing into the NCR, and its fantastic news that we’re now able to start testing in a live environment."