Publish date: 25 May 2022

People living in Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland (LLR) are set to receive better, safer care and treatment, thanks to the introduction of joined-up health and care records.

The LLR Care Record (LLRCR), part of the national Shared Care Records (ShCR) programme, will bring together a person’s separate records into a structured, easy-to-read format. This will give health and care professionals directly involved in an individual’s care a more complete view of the care and treatment that they have received across all services.

It will mean information recorded about someone’s health and care such as illnesses, treatments and hospital admissions can be accessed by different people who are involved in their care.

Traditionally, different hospitals, GPs and other health and care workers recorded separate pieces of information, which was not easily shared. This caused care and treatment delays, with organisations having to forward important facts by phone, email or paper. Shared care records will now enable the most up-to-date information to be available, 24/7.

The LLR Care Record is being progressed by the three local clinical commissioning groups (CCGs), University Hospitals of Leicester (UHL), Leicestershire Partnership Trust (LPT), the three upper tier local authorities (Leicester City Council, Leicestershire County Council and Rutland County Council) and is working toward connecting other local partners including DHU111, care homes and hospices.

Dr Rowan Sil, a GP at Ibstock and Barlestone Surgeries in Leicestershire, and LLR clinical lead for information management and technology, said: “The days of being a clinician or social care professional and working in the dark without sometimes crucial information are coming to an end. By bringing together someone’s records across health and social care, the LLR Care Record will shine a light on the person’s whole care, treatment and support, improving the quality, efficiency and safety of care that we can provide.”

Laura Godtschalk, LLRCR programme manager, said: “Professionals involved in an individual’s care will be able to see the ‘bigger picture’ in someone’s care records – easing an individual’s transition of care as they move between different health services or between NHS and social care services.

“It will mean, for instance, a hospital doctor will be able to access the same crucial information as a GP, such as details of allergies and current medications – bringing potentially life-saving benefits. It will mean people being able to leave hospital with staff confident that the right social care package is in place for them at home. It will mean information can be shared between mental health and social care colleagues to better support someone in crisis.”

The information is available via a secure and safe IT system and can be accessed by different care providers regardless of the computer software programmes they use. The Shared Care Record pulls together data from different systems (getting the systems talking to each other) – it does not store any data itself.

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

The programme team is currently carrying out a communications and engagement programme with local people to obtain further feedback to help progress proposals. Pilot sites are being established ahead of a planned roll-out later this year.

For further information, please visit the Leicester City CCG website: https://www.leicestercityccg.nhs.uk/my-health/data/your-care-record/

Contact the LLR Care Record programme, via email lpt.llrcarerecord@nhs.net

You might also be interested in...