• Rotherham
    Health Record

    Sharing information to improve care

What is the
Rotherham Health Record?

The Rotherham Health Record is an electronic system for sharing your health information in a secure way with health and care staff who provide care directly to you. This gives them access to the most up-to-date information so that they can provide better and quicker care.

Health and care professionals, including doctors and nurses, who are directly providing your care, will see a summary of your existing records – such as those held by your GP, hospital or social care provider – to allow them to make the right decisions with you and for you. You will only have to tell your story once.

better and quicker care

#

you will only have to tell your story once

The Rotherham Health Record…

  • ‘enables me to make the right health and care choices’
  • ‘gives my care professionals and carers access to all the data, information and knowledge they need to provide me with the right care’
  • ‘makes the quality of care transparent’
  • ‘builds and sustains public trust’
  • ‘brings forward life-saving treatments and supports innovation and growth’
  • ‘supports care professionals to make the best use of data and technology, for the benefit of patients’
  • ‘assures best value for taxpayers’

Which organisations are part of the Rotherham Health Record?

Your record will contain information from the following organisations, if they have provided care for you at any time:

  • Rotherham GP practices – all our practices have signed up to the Rotherham Health Record
  • The Rotherham NHS Foundation Trust (hospital and community)
  • Rotherham Doncaster and South Humber NHS Foundation Trust
  • Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council (adult and children social care services)
  • Rotherham Hospice

The current Summary Care Record only holds information at your GP practice, however, the Rotherham Health Record holds information from all services to deliver better care for you.

Geoff’s story

“I have a number of health conditions that need treatment. I have some treatments at the hospital from my consultant and some from the practice nurse at my GP surgery. I have to tell each of these teams what the latest is about my health every time I go to an appointment because they aren’t able to see each other’s notes on the system. It would be so much more convenient if they were able to show all my referrals and appointments so that everyone could see what tests and treatments I am having. I worry that I’m going to give them the wrong information because it’s up to me to explain everything to everyone I see or speak to each time.”

#

Frequently asked questions

Your health record will include information such as:

  • basic personal details including name, address, date of birth, next of kin
  • list of diagnoses – to enable health and care staff to make better decisions and treat your condition better
  • details of any medications you are taking
  • details of any allergies
  • test results – to avoid having to repeat tests and speed up your treatment
  • letters, referrals and discharge information.

It is essential that care professionals delivering direct care to individuals have access to up-to-date and accurate information. In the past, when you have received care in a number of places in Rotherham, such as the hospital or GP practice, your information has been stored on different computer systems. Having a more joined-up and co-ordinated record will improve the way information about you is shared in order to deliver better care.

The sharing of this information already occurs in order to deliver care to you, however it is currently done by paper and telephone which can cause delays in your treatment or care.

Only Rotherham health or care staff involved in directly providing your care will have access to your information in the Rotherham Health Record system. We will not share your information with any third party who is not providing you with care, treatment or support.

  • You won’t have to repeat information about your health and social care to different people.
  • Professionals providing care to you will be able to find information about you when they need it.
  • Your care will be better co-ordinated, with health and care professionals able to make informed decisions about your diagnosis, treatment and care plan.
  • You will be able to avoid unnecessary appointments and tests.
  • Clinicians and social care workers will have more time to spend looking after you because there will be less paperwork.

Legally, everyone working in, or on behalf of the NHS and Rotherham Council social care services, must follow confidentiality rules and keep all information about you in a safe and secure way. Information about you will be viewed through a secure and audited system that meets strict security standards and data protection legislation. In addition, each organisation’s privacy officer will carry out regular checks to make sure that your records are only viewed by authorised health and social care staff, who have a valid reason.

The Rotherham Health Record is a “view only” system which draws information from several health and social care systems. Health and social care professionals will update your records within their own systems and any changes made in these systems will then be reflected in your health record.

The Rotherham Health Record is only available to NHS and social care organisations in Rotherham that have signed up to the system. However the system will used to display information from organisations outside Rotherham who are providing information to the Yorkshire and Humber Care Record (YHCR). This is only where those organisations have signed up to the YHCR. More information on the YHCR can be found at https://www.yhcr.org/

The Rotherham Health Record is a “view only” system which draws information from several health and social care systems. Health and social care professionals will update your records within their own systems and any changes made in these systems will then be reflected in your health record.  You have the right under Article 15 of the UK General Data Protection Regulation to request access to any information that an organisation holds about them. Each individual organisation that contributes information to your health record has a responsibility to handle these “Subject Access Requests”.

Should you wish to access your records this way, contact the organisation who holds the part of the record you are interested in directly, e.g. your GP, hospital, mental health trust or social care team.

No. The project’s aim is to provide health and social care professionals in Rotherham with access to information that directly improves care. For more information about the national organ donor register, please see www.organdonation.nhs.uk.

You can opt out of having your information shared through the Rotherham Health Record at any time. If you would like to opt out please use one of the following options:

Email: rotherhamhealthrecord@nhs.net
Call: 01709 427299
Write to:
Rotherham Health Record Consent
Subject access request team
Rotherham Hospital
S60 2UD

We ask you to think carefully before opting out as sharing your health and social care records will make it easier to provide the best care and support for you in Rotherham. If you opt out, you may not always receive the best available service that meets your specific needs. For example, the out-of-hours GP service may not be fully aware of which medications you are currently taking and so be unable to advise on the best course of action for you. You can change your mind at any time.

Opt out

To opt out of the Rotherham Health Record please contact us by one of the following means.

  • Tel:

    01709 427299

  • Write to:

    Rotherham Health Record Consent
    Subject access request team
    Rotherham Hospital
    S60 2UD