National Shared Care Record (NSCR) - a new way to share patient information

The NSCR will give healthcare staff secure, read-only access to key health information. This includes records from hospitals, GPs and community services.

It’s designed to support continuity of care, especially when a person moves between services.

For example, a hospital doctor will be able to view a patient’s recent medications and test results in an emergency. While providing follow-up care at home, a public health nurse will then be able to see a summary of that patient’s hospital stay.

In future, patients will be able to view their own information. Carers or family members will also have access, where consent is given

Why a shared care record matters

A NSCR helps staff and patients stay better informed at every stage of a person’s care.

For patients and service users, this means:

• there will be no need to repeat your medical history at every appointment
• more consistent care across hospitals, GPs and community services
• you will have access to your records and be more involved in your care
• your information can be shared safely, with your consent

For staff, this means:

• faster access to trusted information
• less time spent chasing records or repeating tests
• safer decisions and better support for people with complex needs
• a clearer, more complete picture to plan and deliver care

What we're working on now

The NSCR has been approved, and a delivery partner has been selected. Work has started on designing the system and preparing for its first rollout. This includes building a secure digital platform that can bring together data from different systems and display it clearly.

Planning is also in progress to develop the tools and processes that will allow more data and services to be added over time.

What’s next for NSCR

The NSCR will launch in 2025 in a small number of locations. This first launch will help us learn what works and how we can improve before we roll it out nationally.

The first version will:

• show a simple, read-only summary of key health information
• include details like reimbursed medications and selected test results
• be used by staff only
• support the addition of more data sources over time.

The NSCR must work well for patients, carers and staff across the country. What we learn from this first launch will shape future NSCR development.

Contact

For more information about the NSCR initiative, email our team