There are over 300 clinical computer systems in Leeds. They all hold clinical information about patients who have used services provided by their GP, at a local hospital, community healthcare, social services or mental health teams. Each record may hold slightly different information.
The Leeds Care Record brings together certain important information from different clinical systems so that medical information held about a patient is centralised into one easy-to-use database.
All of your medical records will still be strictly confidential. They will only be looked at by health and social care professionals who are directly involved in your care.
The Leeds Care Record will support people working in health and adult social care services to provide you with better and more joined up care. It will make care safer because everyone involved in treating you will have access to the most up-to-date and accurate information about the medicines you are taking and any allergies that you have. It will also help to avoid unnecessary or duplicate tests and procedures, and reduce paperwork for doctors, nurses and other staff, giving them more time to spend on patient care.
Zoe Berry is a nurse specialist within the acute medicine early discharge assessment team at the Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust. She says: “I have been waiting for a system like this to come along for years. It will save so much time and make patient care safer and more cohesive. At present, my team have to access five different databases in order to obtain information so we can get the full picture of our patients.”
You can choose not to have a Leeds Care Record. It is your choice but sharing your medical and social care information through a Leeds Care Record will make it easier to provide the best quality care and support for you. If you have any doubts about your records being shared you can talk to the information governance team at the Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust. Their telephone number is 0113 20 64102.
For further information visit www.leedscarerecord.org