Health and care professionals are beginning to see the benefits from a new programme that is joining up people’s NHS and social care records in Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland (LLR).
The LLR Care Record means information recorded about someone’s health and care, such as illnesses, treatments and hospital admissions, can be accessed by different people who are directly involved in their care. Hospitals, GPs and other health and care workers have always tended to have separate records – the LLR Care Record allows the data from these to be seen in one place.
Pilot projects for the LLR Care Record have been held in primary care, community, hospital, hospice and local authority settings, with feedback from these pilots revealing a number of benefits for the professionals involved, helping them see the bigger picture in an individual’s care.
The LLR Care Record is being progressed by the LLR Integrated Care Board, University Hospitals of Leicester, Leicestershire Partnership Trust, the three upper-tier local authorities (Leicester City Council, Leicestershire County Council and Rutland County Council) as well as other partners such as LOROS, DHU111 and community pharmacy.
The pilots have been established at Ibstock GP surgery in Ibstock, Forest House GP practice in Leicester Forest East, Leicestershire Partnership Trust’s unscheduled adult mental health care service, discharge hub and therapy service, social care teams in Rutland, Leicester and Leicestershire, and University Hospitals of Leicester’s renal care team.
Feedback received from LLR Care Record users in local authority social care includes:
“The LLR Care Record provides quick and easy access to information that previously was only obtainable by contacting the person’s GP practice – this was extremely time consuming… The LLR Care Record is quick and direct, so it eliminates all of those delays and frustrations and provides access to very detailed and specific information about an individual’s health.”
“Workers agree how helpful it has been to clarify information provided by the person drawing on support who might not always be able to recall all the details about their health, for example, information about tests, diagnoses and treatment.”
“The information available shows the nature and outcome of contacts between the person and their GP. For example, a person living temporarily in a care home suddenly became very unwell and the GP was contacted to request a very urgent home visit. The worker was able to see later that same day that the GP had referred (the individual) to the DHU out-of-hours service for an urgent visit and so did not need to contact either the care home or the GP surgery to find out what was happening.”
We knew from similar projects elsewhere in the country that there would be many benefits for health and care professionals – it’s really pleasing to hear that these benefits are now being seen here with the LLR Care Record. Clinicians and care workers are reporting that it is saving them time and is helping to provide joined-up and safer care.
Person:Laura Godtschalk, LLR Care Record programme manager
To find out more about the LLR Care Record, visit the LLR Integrated Care Board website.
The website contains information about the programme, including a video, ‘frequently asked questions’ document, a public-facing leaflet and information on how a member of the public could choose to object to being included, should they wish. Information is available in different languages and in an easy-read format for people that need it.
The animated video explaining key aspects of the programme is also available on YouTube.
Any questions about the LLR Care Record can be emailed to the programme team at lpt.llrcarerecord@nhs.net.