Please note that The Family Medical Practice has not yet commenced using the SCR, patients will be informed when our practice IT supplier has updated our system
What is the Summary Care Record?
Summary Care Records contain important information about any medicines you are taking, allergies you suffer from and any bad reactions to medicines that you have had.
Giving healthcare staff access to this information can prevent mistakes being made when caring for you in an emergency or when your GP practice is closed.
You can choose whether or not to have a Summary Care Record.
What information is included in the Summary Care Record?
Summary Care Records contain important information about any medicines you are taking, allergies you suffer from and any bad reactions to medicines that you have had.
You may want to add other details about your care to your Summary Care Record. This will only happen if you ask for the information to be included. You should discuss your wishes with your GP.
Who can see my Summary Care Record?
Only healthcare staff involved in supporting or providing your care can see your Summary Care Record. These:
- need to be directly involved in caring for you;
- need to have an NHS Smartcard with a chip and passcode (like a bank card and PIN);
- will only see the information they need to do their job; and
- should have their details recorded.
Healthcare staff will ask your permission every time they need to look at your Summary Care Record. If they cannot ask you, for example if you are unconscious, they may look at your Summary Care Record without asking you. If they do this, they will make a note on your record to say why they have done so.
What are my choices with Summary Care Records?
You can choose to have a Summary Care Record. You do not need to do anything. This will happen automatically.
You can choose not to have a Summary Care Record. If you don’t want a Summary Care Record, you need to let your GP practice know by filling in and returning an opt-out form (PDF, 245.9kB).
Is it possible for me to see the information in my Summary Care Record?
You can ask your GP practice to print out a copy of your Summary Care Record from their computer system.
Can I change information on my Summary Care Record?
You cannot change information written by healthcare staff, but if you see any errors or incorrect information on your records you should let your GP practice know.
Why can’t I opt in to having a Summary Care Record?
Asking patients to opt out of having a Summary Care Record (rather than opting in) is the simplest option for patients, and has been agreed by the Information Commissioner as being in line with the NHS Care Record Guarantee for England.
This means that patients who would benefit most from having a Summary Care Record, for example vulnerable patients, will not be disadvantaged as there is no need to do anything if they want to have a Summary Care Record made for them.
Why can’t I opt out online rather than having to print out the form and return it to my GP practice?
Your GP practice needs to know if you want to opt out of having a Summary Care Record in order to ensure your wishes are carried out. Filling in and returning the optout+FORM.pdf to your GP practice allows them to do this.
