What information is held in my Derbyshire Shared Care Record?
Details in your record will include; dates and outcomes of hospital visits, appointments, referrals, prescribed medications, allergies, investigations – for example blood tests – diagnoses, support plans, details of organisations involved in your care and information on the care you are currently receiving.
Is this just happening in Derbyshire?
The UK Government has committed to a system of county wide shared health and social care records, meaning there are similar schemes in other counties. For example, in Hampshire there is CHIE and in Somerset there is SIDeR. In time we will share information across counties with the aid of organisations that the Government has set up to do just this, such as the Wessex LHCRE.
Who can see the DSCR?
Your health and social care records are still confidential. They will only be looked at by professionals who are directly involved in your care or those supporting the delivery of that care (e.g. practice and hospital administrative staff). Your information isn’t shared with 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; passed on to a third party who is not directly involved in your care, used for advertising or sold.
Under the General Data Protection Regulation and the Data Protection Act 2018, you can request access to all information that organisations hold about you, including copies of paper, electronic and combined health records. If you wish to see the health or care information held about you, please contact the organisation providing your care or the DSCR Privacy Officer.
You will in time be able to update your own DSCR. The Government is keen for people to be able to access their digital records and we are looking to launch this in the future.
Is the DSCR confidential?
We and our partners take data security extremely seriously. As part of our cyber security approach, all access to information is via a highly secure access portal limited to approved NHS and Local Authority health and social care professionals.
The DSCR is only be used to improve the care and support we provide to you. It will never be sold to third parties like insurance companies or drug firms.
By law, everyone working in, or behalf of, the NHS and adult social care must follow strict information governance rules designed to respect patient privacy and keep all information about you safe. The DSCR will keep a record of everyone who has accessed a record, the time and date when they have accessed it and the information they were viewing. The laws on data protection are clear and we take them very seriously.
What if I live or get treated outside of Derbyshire?
The Derbyshire Shared Care Record only includes information from health and care organisations and GP practices based in Derbyshire and Derby City. Currently, no other organisations outside the county will be able to access or update your record.
What about the Summary Care Record?
The Derbyshire Shared Care Record provides a more detailed view of your health, care and treatment from your local NHS and social care organisations.
The Summary Care Record is used nationally and is only a snapshot of your GP record.
If you have opted out of the Summary Care Record you still need to opt out of the Derbyshire Shared Care Record as well.
Why is the DSCR needed?
Individual organisations currently keep a record about you. For example, everyone who is registered at a GP surgery will have a record kept at that practice. If you attend a hospital, they will create their own record about you and the same will happen for adult and children’s services within local authorities. The DSCR brings all these electronic records together in one place for a fuller picture about your health.
Is the DSCR secure?
The DSCR solution is provided by global healthcare company Orion Health, which also looks after a number of other care records across the UK. Orion Health access is governed by an Information Security Management System that has been independently certified as compliant with the requirements of ISO/IEC 27001:2013 for the provision of Health Integration Software.
All access to information is via a secure access portal limited to approved NHS and Local Authority health and social care professionals. In addition, all data is encrypted from database to browser. System security testing is regularly undertaken to make sure there is no unauthorised access to patient records. Your Derbyshire Shared Care Record is held within a datacentre in England, which is also used by NHS and other health organisations. It will not be stored in a third country, as defined by the Information Commissioner’s Office.
How can I opt out of the DSCR?
If you do not want your health and care information to be shared, you can opt out of the Derbyshire Shared Care Record. Opting out of the DSCR means that your information will be hidden and not available in the DSCR system, even in an emergency situation, unless you change your mind.
There is further information on how to opt out. If there are any issues in processing your request the DSCR Privacy Officer will contact you.
How can I get further information about the DSCR?
We have a range of easy read and generic consent leaflets which are available in doctor’s surgeries, acute and community hospitals, libraries and council buildings. These are also available, on request, in a range of foreign languages. This is backed up with online information on our dedicated Derbyshire Shared Care Record website, which provides links to our social media feeds and latest news.
