EMIS Health becomes the first GP system supplier to upload 100% SCR Additional Information

To help the NHS to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic, NHS Digital and NHX asked GP system suppliers to upload Additional Information into the Summary Care Records (SCR) of every patient in England whose record is held in our systems and who had not previously told the NHS that they did not want their information to be shared.

The inclusion of Additional Information enables authorised health and care professionals to have a more complete picture of the patient they are treating at the point of care, anywhere in England. It can be particularly useful in an urgent care setting, where fast decisions are often a necessity and Additional Information can make a vital difference.

EMIS Health has become the first supplier to upload Additional Information into 100% of SCRs held on our systems, which did not contain a previous patient preference to sharing information.

Additional Information includes significant medical history, reason for medication, care plan information and immunisations.

Dr Peter Short, clinical lead GP data for planning and research, said: “Now more health and care professionals have fast access to relevant medical information at the point of direct patient care.”

Dr Shaun O’Hanlon, chief medical officer at EMIS Group, said: “The healthcare industry has pulled together since the start of the pandemic to answer the question: how can we help our colleagues on the NHS front line? Keeping clinicians up to date with all the information they need is what collectively we do best with our systems, and we’re delighted to have supported NHS Digital to make Additional Information readily and securely available in the Summary Care Record for clinicians to access when and where they need it.”

Find out more information on NHS Digital’s Summary Care Record Additional Information service.