100,000 benefit from new health records

8:40am Thursday 1st January 2009

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MORE than 100,000 patients across Bury now have a summary care record at their disposal.

Bury is at the forefront of the new innovation, having created more records than any other area in England.

It is expected that around 140,000 summary care records – equating to around 73 per cent of the population of Bury – will be live within the next few months.

Summary care records include key information about a patient’s health which is held in their medical records – such as medicines they are taking, any bad reactions they may have had, and known allergies.

It is accessible to NHS staff allowing them to quickly administer where and when it is needed.

The records are now being used by health care professionals at a number of sites across Bury including Fairfield Hospital’s accident and emergency department, BARDOC (Bury and Rochdale Doctors on Call), and Bury’s NHS Walk-in Centre.

Through an internet website called HealthSpace, patients are also able to monitor their own health information and view their summary care record from their own computer.

Dr Robert Jeeves, local GP and Clinical Lead for the project, said: “We are fortunate in Bury to have support from colleagues across our health community.

“We have all worked together to achieve this significant milestone.

“There are substantial benefits to having a summary care record.

“For the patient, the record can improve the safety and quality of their treatment, so helping people to receive the best possible care.

“For health care professionals, a record enables quick access to reliable information, where and when it is needed, to help to reach better and more informed decisions about a patient’s care.”