Contractual requirements for IT/electronic patient records
It is a requirement of the NHS GP contract that all GP practices inform their patients of their current status in relation to a number of electronic services:
Electronic transfer of patient record
The system (GP2GP) that electronically transfers patient medical records from one practice to another is already activated at Garswood Surgery. Please note at present, where practices have different clinical systems to ours it may not always be possible to transfer records via GP2GP due to limitations on the transfer file size. These records will be manually forwarded and received in the traditional manner.
Electronic appointment booking
This service is available via Patient Access and is hosted by our clinical system provider. Electronic appointment booking will provide a convenient service to arrange appointments directly for patients who may have difficulties contacting the surgery during opening hours.
Electronic booking of repeat prescriptions
This is a useful service for both patients and the practice as requests can be made directly via the online access system.
Electronic transfer of prescriptions (ETPS)
This service enables the GP to forward prescriptions electronically to a patient’s nominated pharmacy. This is a secure and almost instant transfer from when the GP processes the request. It also prevents the need for prescriptions to be collected by patients from the practice as they only need to collect their medications from the pharmacy.
Patients’ access to their GP record
Patients have been able to view their medical record on line since March 2015 and can access their medical records relating to medications, allergies, summary of conditions and adverse reactions.
Summary Care Record
The “Summary Care Record” is an electronic summary of a patient’s key clinical information The practice has already activated a summary care record for all patients other than those who have expressed a wish to opt out of this service. This record can only be viewed in emergency or urgent care settings with the consent of the patient unless the patient is unable to give consent (for example if they are unconscious).