What is the Great North Care Record?
Great North Care Record covers the North East and North Cumbria and gives the staff caring for you a more complete picture of your medical history. It does this by making information held about you in different places such as your GP practice or local hospital available to the staff who are caring for you.
Who has a Great North Care Record?
Only patients registered with a GP practice in the North East or North Cumbria have a Great North Care Record. If you travel into the region from another area your records are not
shared.
How will this affect my maternity care?
Your maternity record contains vital information about you and your baby. You may be seen by different healthcare teams throughout your pregnancy. Being able to share this information electronically with healthcare professionals means they understand more about you and your baby’s health. It also means that your maternity team can access information contained in your health record such as your GP or some hospital records.
What kind of information is made available?
- Contact details
- Appointments
- Medication
- Diagnoses
- Allergies
- Referrals
- Test results
- Immunisations
- Vital signs
How are my records kept safe?
By law, everyone working in, or on behalf of the NHS and social care, must respect your
privacy and keep all information about you safe. The Great North 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 your record is accessed. Organisations who use
the Great North Care Record are responsible for ensuring only the right people access your
record and have strict policies and protocols in place to prevent inappropriate access.
Can anyone see my records?
No, your records are confidential. They can only be lawfully looked at by staff who are
directly involved in your care. Midwives, doctors and other care staff rely on good communication with patients – and with each other – to provide the best care possible. Your
information isn’t available to anyone who doesn’t need it to provide treatment, care and
support to you. Your details are kept safe and won’t be made public, won’t be passed on to
a third party who is not directly involved in your care and won’t be used for advertising
or sold.
What if I don’t want my information to be on the Great North Care Record?
Your record is automatically available for staff involved in your care to access. If you would prefer it not to be made available, please contact the Great North Care Record team on 0344 811 9587, email gncarerecord@nhs.net, or visit www.greatnorthcarerecord.org.uk
