PRSB publishes new shared care record standards

The Professional Record Standards Body (PRSB) has published new standards for shared care records, which will help determine the information about a person that should be shared between health and care systems.

Working with NHS England, the PRSB has asked members of the public and health and care professionals to help produce a ‘core information standard’ that defines exactly what information should be shared in a person’s care record throughout their life.

This particular standard includes a wide range of information from different services, including the GP, hospitals, social care and mental health services among others. It will incorporate an ‘about me’ section, which outlines what people want professionals to know about their care, as well as other crucial information, such as allergies, medications and alerts.

Once implemented, it will mean that everyone involved in a person’s care, including the patient, carer and guardian, will have access to relevant data.

This will mean people will not have to repeat their history and services can deliver tailored and personalised care.

The first regions that have been selected to pilot the standard are Greater Manchester, Thames Valley and Surrey, Wessex, One London and Yorkshire and Humber, which are all part of the Local Health and Care Record Exemplar (LHCRE) programme.

However, the standard can be used UK-wide.

Professor Maureen Baker, PRSB chair, said: “As a GP, providing safe, high quality care for my patients depends on having the latest information from colleagues in hospital and the community about my patients’ care.

“That is why I am so pleased to that PRSB has produced the core information standard and why I am so keen it is in use as soon as possible. Having up-to-date information helps me make better clinical decisions and work more effectively with other services and it helps people stay closer to home with more control of their own health and care.”

The PRSB is the organisation responsible for the development of standards for digital care records.

Since it was formed, the PRSB has published guidance on a number of standards including medicine information sharing, record location and digital maternity records.