In 2020 we introduced the London Care Record.

This is a single and secure view of a person’s health and care information which helps ensure frontline staff have the information they need about a person when they need it, wherever they are in London.

It is currently used by around 55,000 frontline staff each month across London and some neighbouring areas to inform their clinical decision making and support them provide quicker, more effective and safer care.

In total the London Care Record has been used over 26 million times by health and care staff.

That is 26 million moments of care that have been supported by staff having the information they need when they need it.

Here a just a few examples (2 May 2023).

Dr Helene Brown, GP in North East London and Medical Director for System Improvement and Professional Standards at NHS England (London), said: 

“It is vital for GPs to have immediate access to the most up to date information about their patients. Recently London Ambulance Service were called to a patient at his home who was unwell but did not need immediate transfer to hospital. By being able to access information from the paramedic on the scene I was able to contact the appropriate services to quickly change both his care package and his medications.

“This was all done within a few hours of the visit to the patient helping to avoid a hospital admission. This meant the man could remain in his home which was what he wanted. This is really helping to improve communication between ambulance teams and General Practice for the benefit of patients.”

Pauline Humphrey, Registered Manager Kallar Lodge Care Home, said:

“One of our residents with dementia was recently in a great deal of distress. By looking at the London Care Record we could check her records and found that many years ago she had suffered a significant emotional trauma that explained her current behaviour. Thanks to this we were able to find an effective way to calm her down and manage a very difficult situation while also planning the best care for her moving forwards.”

Daryl Knight, Deputy Head of Service – Integrated Discharge Team Hertfordshire County Council, said:

“A gentleman in his late seventies fell on the ice whilst away from home and was conveyed to the nearest hospital in London. Several weeks later, recovering from hip surgery, our team arranged a package of care to support him to return to his home in Hertfordshire. On the day of his discharge the visiting therapist quickly reported back to us that his flat had no heating, was very damp and simply wasn’t safe for him to stay. The best possible solution was for him to spend a few nights in a care home.

“However, as this hadn’t been planned for, we hadn’t been provided with a Covid test result as part of his discharge. It was approaching 5pm and was too late to request a visit from a public health colleague. The gentleman was at risk of being readmitted to hospital.

“The Shared Care Record came to the rescue. We were able to see the record from his GP in Hertfordshire as well as information from the hospital in London. This allowed us to confirm to the care home that he had had his vaccinations and boosters, and that a negative Covid result had been obtained by the hospital following his surgery. By 9.30 pm he was warm and well, settled into the care home, having a cup of tea.”

Dr Sanjay Gautama, Clinical Informatics Lead for London, Consultant Anaesthetist, Chief Clinical Information Officer, and Caldicott Guardian for Imperial College Healthcare Trust NHS, said:

“It’s great news that the London Care Record is now being viewed over one million times a month. Feedback from my colleagues across London is that it is a ‘must have’ tool.

“Working in a busy NHS Trust I see first hand the positive difference it is making. It allows me to have a more informed conversation with my patients, providing them with assurance but also significantly increasing the clinical safety through having the right information in the right place at the right time.

“There is no doubt that the London Care Record is helping improve the health and care of Londoners, and will continue to do so as we build on the information being shared from within and outside London, and also the London Ambulance Service.”