Health and care information for Suffolk and North East Essex residents is now being securely shared through the London Care Record helping to improve joined-up care for those referred for treatment and care in the Capital and some of its neighbouring areas (27 January 2025).

The London Care Record is a single and secure view of a person’s health and care information and includes details about medicals conditions, test results, medicines, allergies, care plans and other useful information such as hospital discharge summaries.

Frontline staff using the London Care Record can now see relevant information about patients referred from Suffolk and North East Essex at the point of care, helping inform their clinical decision making.

This vital tool is used over two million times a month by over 100,000 different health and care staff. Only staff involved in a person’s care are allowed to access the information.

From last year health and care staff in Suffolk and North East Essex could view the London Care Record via their existing electronic record systems. This meant they could see relevant information about their patients who had received treatment and care from health and care services across the Capital and some neighbouring areas. There has been overwhelmingly positive feedback about the London Care Record from their health and care staff who have used the tool.

Around one million people live in Suffolk and North East Essex so joining up their health and care information through the London Care Record is important as a significant number of them are referred for treatment and care in the Capital or other health and care settings who use the tool.

Stewart Taylor, Shared Care Record Programme Manager at Suffolk and North East Essex ICS, said:

“Our priority is providing the best possible care for our patients, including those that receive specialist treatment and care in the Capital and other areas. It is a really important step that through the London Care Record more health and care professionals now have the information that they need about our residents at the point of care. 

“Feedback from our staff who have used the London Care Record over the last few months has been overwhelmingly positive. One key highlight was a consultant surgeon from East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust was able to see if an MRI scan had taken place (the patient previously had care in Lewisham) and this avoided a duplicate test being ordered and saving time for the colleagues and the patient.”

Luke Readman, Director of Digital Transformation NHS England (London), said:

“It is great news that through the London Care Record patient information is now being shared between Suffolk and North East Essex and health and care providers across London and beyond. This is important for effective and joined up care for their residents referred to centres of excellence and specialist centres in the Capital and some of its neighbouring areas like Oxford and Milton Keynes. We look forward to more areas linking up with the London Care Record so even more patients benefit.”

The work with Suffolk and North East Essex builds on connections already in place with Hertfordshire and West Essex ICS, Milton Keynes University Hospital and Oxford University Hospitals. Since last year health and care staff in Bedfordshire have also been connected to the London Care Record so their staff can use the tool and work is underway for them to share patient information into it.

This also supports wider work being led by NHS England through their ‘Connecting Care Records’ Programme aimed at connecting healthcare provider records across the country to streamline data sharing and improve patient care.

You can find out more about the London Care Record here.