If you have certified access to an Electronic Patient Record then you are likely to be able to access the London Care Record through this.

We continue to work with some health and care settings within London and its surrounding areas to enable access to the London Care Record.

Most GP surgeries and hospitals in London can now use the London Care Record and also share information into it.

Some community health and care services, out of hours, the London Ambulance Service and other NHS 111 services are also able to use the London Care Record.

You can read a full list of health and care organisations connected to the London Care Record here.

The information displayed in the London Care Record is only a partial record of what is held about patients by health and care organisations across London.

The London Care Record is a view of some of their personal information (or personal data) for their health and care. It includes:

• Identifying Data such as their name, address, date of birth

• Details about appointments they have had in different places – eg hospital or GP appointments

• Diagnosed conditions – to make sure your clinical and care staff can provide appropriate care

• Medication – so everyone treating them can see what medicines they have been prescribed

• Allergies – to make sure they are not given any medicines or treatments that they could have an adverse reaction to

• Test or scan results – to make sure clinical and care staff can provide appropriate care, and to help ensure tests are not repeated if this isn’t necessary

• Referrals, clinical letters and discharge information – to make sure the people caring for them have all the information they need about other care and treatment they are having elsewhere

• Care plans (if / where available) – for health and care workers involved in their care to view a joined-up plan of care and the wishes they have asked for in relation to their care

The information shared varies from organisation to organisation and depends on each computer system’s technical ability to connect and share.

The London Care Record provides a ‘view only’ access to a patient’s records.

This means that the information can only be changed directly within a patient’s local GP, social care or hospital computer systems.

The London Care Record simply displays this information more widely across the health and social care system to staff who are caring for a patient.

The information displayed in the London Care Record is a view of the records held by multiple health and care organisations in London. This means that no data is created or changed in the London Care Record system.

London Care Record Organisations

By law, everyone working in, or on behalf of the NHS and social care, must respect a patient’s privacy and keep all information about them safe. The NHS Digital Code of Practice on Confidential Information applies to all staff and requires them to protect personal information, inform patients how their information will be used, and allow patients to decide if and how their information can be shared.

The London Care Record uses a secure system that meets NHS and social care security standards. The system keeps an audit trail including the time and date when a record is accessed.

The London Care Record approach is in line with General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) which provides the legal basis to share information between health and care services when it is needed to deliver care.

The laws on data protection are clear. All information is secure and restricted to authorised staff only. Organisations who use the London Care Record are responsible for ensuring only the right people access it and have strict policies and protocols in place.

Information can only be accessed over a secure healthcare network. An audit trail is maintained to record access to records.

Yes – people can object to sharing their information in the London Care Record.

Not sharing may mean that it will take those who are caring for them longer to work out the best way to help.

Sharing information is often very important for a person’s care. When staff are more informed, it helps them to make the right decisions quickly, providing better and safer care. This is especially important during emergency situations or out of normal working hours.

Only health and social care professionals involved in a person’s care are allowed to access their information. These people are viewing their record to give them the best quality care they can.

If a person has concerns about their data being shared, they can raise an objection. However, if they do register an objection, they should understand that it could negatively impact the care they receive. If health and care staff are unable to access their medical record –

• It might mean that tests or investigations are repeated because results from other organisations can’t be viewed

• The person may need to repeat the same information to different NHS staff

  • The staff treating them won’t be able to see what has happened to them in different parts of the NHS

  • They might not know what medication they are taking

  • It will not stop health and care staff contacting one another to ask questions about the person’s history

If a person has concerns about their data being shared and want to raise an objection, the best way to do this is to contact the staff who are providing their care, but if they’re not sure, there are some links below. Depending where they live there are different processes to follow.

For south east London click here
For north east London click here
For north west London click here
For north central London click here
For south west London click here
For Milton Keynes click here
For Hertfordshire and West Essex click here

If a person chooses to object, they are only objecting to electronic sharing of their medical record in the London Care Record. Other information sharing projects – such as the national Summary Care Record – are operated and managed separately, so they need to object to each programme individually.

There may be circumstances where an objection may not be upheld. For example if there is a safeguarding issue, or in the case of an individual who might be at risk from harming themselves or a member of the public, or in an emergency.
Please note, during a period of national emergency, objections will not generally apply to the information used – such as with the coronavirus (COVID-19) response. This is due to the public interest in sharing information.

Their carer can only decide if they have the legal power to make decisions for them. This is usually through a power of attorney.

Under the Data Protection Legislation, they have the right to:

• be informed of our uses of their data
• request copies of their personal information (this is referred to as a Subject Access Request or ‘SAR’)
• have any factual inaccuracies corrected
• object to the processing of their personal data

All NHS, local authority and social care organisations have complaints procedures.

If a person wishes to make a complaint they should contact their care provider such as their GP, hospital consultant, social worker or speak to their PALS (Patients Advisors and Liaisons Services) / Complaints department.

They also have the right to make a complaint to the Information Commissioner’s Office regarding breaches of confidentiality.

For independent advice about data protection, privacy, data sharing issues and rights they can contact: Information Commissioner’s Office; Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow Cheshire, K9 5AF, Telephone: 0303 123 1113 (local rate) or 01625 545 745

Email: casework@ico.org.uk

Visit the ICO website.