People living in Oldham are to benefit from new technology that will allow their health and social care records to be shared securely with professionals involved in their care.
A new digital care record solution called ShareforYou will allow patient records to be securely shared digitally, rather than relying on sharing information through paper records, phone or fax. Sharing information in this way makes care safer as health and social care professionals will have all of the necessary, up-to-date and historical information to hand, such as details of allergies and current medications, which will reduce the chance of errors being made.
Your ShareforYou Care Record will be created automatically, although you are able to opt-out if you wish. The legal basis to create and share your information for the purposes of your direct care comes under the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR), conditions 6(1)(e) and (9)(2)(h). ShareforYou will be available from 17 February 2020.
If you do wish to opt-out of the ShareforYou record, all you need to do is visit your GP practice and complete a ShareforYou opt-out form, alternatively you can use the following link
Share for you opt out form and return it back to us.
It is worth keeping in mind that choosing not to share your information could make it more difficult in certain situations for health and social care workers to provide you with care you need quickly and safely. For example if you visited A&E in an emergency and staff were unable to access important information from your care records this might affect their ability to make clinical decisions or provide emergency care quickly.
If you do opt-out, the only way to change this is to go back to your GP again to ask them to ‘opt’ you back in.
More information about ShareforYou, including a full set of ‘frequently asked questions’ can be found here: www.pennineshareforyou.nhs.uk
Your Data Matters to the NHS
Information about your health and care helps us to improve your individual care, speed up diagnosis, plan your local services and research new treatments. The NHS is committed to keeping patient information safe and always being clear about how it is used.
How your data is used
Information about your individual care such as treatment and diagnoses is collected about you whenever you use health and care services. It is also used to help us and other organisations for research and planning such as research into new treatments, deciding where to put GP clinics and planning for the number of doctors and nurses in your local hospital. It is only used in this way when there is a clear legal basis to use the information to help improve health and care for you, your family and future generations.
Wherever possible we try to use data that does not identify you, but sometimes it is necessary to use your confidential patient information.
You have a choice
You do not need to do anything if you are happy about how your information is used. If you do not want your confidential patient information to be used for research and planning, you can choose to opt out securely online or through a telephone service. You can change your mind about your choice at any time.
Will choosing this opt-out affect your care and treatment?
No, choosing to opt out will not affect how information is used to support your care and treatment. You will still be invited for screening services, such as screenings for bowel cancer.
What do you need to do?
If you are happy for your confidential patient information to be used for research and planning, you do not need to do anything.
To find out more about the benefits of data sharing, how data is protected, or to make/change your opt-out choice visit www.nhs.uk/your-nhs-data-matters
Download a copy of the patient leaflet