One Health and Care, the digital shared care record in the Black Country, achieved a major milestone in August, with all local acute NHS Trusts now flowing data into the digital record.
The Dudley Group NHS Foundation Trust and Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS Trust went live with the record in August, joining The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust and Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust, Black Country Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, and GP practices in the Black Country and West Birmingham.
One Health and Care brings together separate records from different organisations involved in your health and care, enabling professionals who are directly involved with your care to see relevant information about the care and treatment you’ve had across local services.
This means you only need to tell your story once, and those caring for you have instant access to all the information they need to treat you in the fastest, safest and most effective way.
As well as key medical information such as existing conditions, medications and test results, One Health and Care will also flag any additional needs a person has, such as difficulty with communication, and provide details of any other professionals involved in a person’s care.
Mike Hastings, Digital Director for the NHS Black Country Integrated Care Board, said: “It’s fantastic that all local NHS Trusts in the Black Country, as well as our GP practices, are included in the shared care record.
“One Health and Care is about providing safe, efficient, joined-up care and ensuring that professionals get the same view of their patients’ information, no matter where they are caring for them.
“By connecting the information which is held by different providers of health services, we will be able to improve quality and outcomes for those being treated and cared for in the Black Country.
“The record is highly secure and is only viewable through existing clinical systems, meaning records will only be visible to authorised users directly responsible for a person’s care, and there will also be a clear record of who has accessed information, and when.”
The programme will now focus on working with social care services to join their records. This will reduce repetition and delays to decision making, and support access to care in the right place at the right time.
For more information on One Health and Care, visit the NHS Black Country Integrated Care System website here.
