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Information for health and care staff
Ensuring you have the right information at the point of care to inform your clinical decision-making can save lives and support you to provide the best possible joined-up care more quickly.
Joining up information can also help improve the way we plan our health and care services for the future and support research into new treatments and medications.
OneLondon is bringing health and care information together in a number of ways
London Care Record
Faster, safer and more joined-up care
The London Care Record is a digital system that gives you an instant view of a person’s health and care information when you need it at the point of care.
It is an up-to-date record of their information over time and across different parts of the NHS and social care in London and some neighbouring areas. It is normally accessed through your organisation’s Electronic Patient Record system.
The London Care Record gives you the joined-up information you need to take informed decisions and provide the best possible care. It can also save you valuable time.
Universal Care Plan
Improved care planning
The Universal Care Plan (UCP) is an NHS service that enables every Londoner to have a digital personalised care plan. These are digitally shared with health and care professionals across the Capital, helping to ensure Londoners get the joined-up care they need and want.
You can access the UCP via the London Care Record, some local Electronic Patient Record systems and via the UCP web portal. It includes information such as what’s important to a person, their preferences or wishes about their care and what support they need.
eMental Health Act
Improving mental healthcare
A new digital tool has been introduced in London to support quicker and more joined-up assessment and treatment of people detained under the Mental Health Act (MHA).
The eMHA by Thalamos system replaces the mainly paper based MHA processes. It enables health and care staff to easily access patient information, securely complete MHA statutory forms as well as digitally share them with all relevant colleagues.
This supports them to provide the right joined-up care safely and more quickly, while also saving valuable time.
OneLondon 999 Digital Transfer of Care
Effective ambulance handovers
We are working with London Ambulance Service and the Capital’s Emergency Departments to make improvements so that patient information is automatically sent to the receiving Trust as soon as the ambulance clinician decides to convey the patient to hospital.
This will support faster and more effective ambulance handovers benefiting patients and saving staff time by:
- Reducing the need for manual data entry at the receiving hospital.
- Helping Emergency Departments proactively plan a patient’s care before their arrival.
- Helping ambulance teams get back on the road sooner to help more Londoners.
London Secure Data Environment
Improving health outcomes
We are joining up health and care data across London to help improve health outcomes in every community across the Capital. The London Secure Data Environment (SDE) will be a world leading resource for health and care improvement. It will help to:
- Improve existing direct care tools such as the London Care Record.
- Develop more effective ways to identify, support and treat those at risk of ill health.
- Provide information to effectively plan future services.
- Ensure more Londoners benefit from the latest cutting edge research.
The development of the London SDE is part of a wider vision for London to become the healthiest global city, and the best in which to receive health and care services.
Citizens' Summit | Citizens' Advisory Group
Involving Londoners in our work
OneLondon works closely with Londoners to join up health and care information in a way that meets public expectations and builds trust and confidence. Whether through large deliberative events, ongoing work with our Citizens’ Advisory Group and other initiatives such as through the Universal Care Plan’s People with Lived Experience Group Londoners are centre stage of our work.
How patient information is kept safe
By law, everyone working in, or on behalf of health and social care organisations, must respect patient privacy and keep patient information safe. Our systems use a secure and encrypted system that meet NHS and social care security standards.
You are only permitted to access records of patients who you are providing care for and an audit trail is kept and monitored for everyone who accessed records using OneLondon tools. Only approved organisations and/or approved researchers can access the London SDE.
Deciding not to share information
Patients have a right to determine how their health and care information is used. They can object to their information being shared for direct care and to opt out of their data being used for planning and research purposes.
More information about how we use patient health and care information, as well as how someone can exercise their right to object or opt-out is available here.