Kent and Medway to launch shared health and social care record

Kent and Medway is planning to go live with a shared health and care record for the region, joining up records from a range of health and social care providers.

The Kent and Medway Care Record (KMCR) is a collaboration between Kent and Medway Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG), Kent County Council and Medway Council, and will hold data on 1.8 million citizens in the region.

The record, which has been developed by supplier Graphnet and delivered by Cantium Business Solutions, will automatically receive regular data feeds from four acute hospitals, three community services providers, two community-based mental health services, 225 main GP practices, 85 GP branch sites and around 466 social care teams. Ambulance services will also have access to the record.

This will create a single view of a patient’s records, allowing staff across the region to get a full picture of the patient. Information included in the record will be name, date of birth, gender, age contact details and the patient’s NHS number.

It also includes any diagnosed conditions, medication, test results, allergies, referrals, clinical letters and discharge information, as well as any care plans in place, as well as covering information about people that care for the patient and their family.

Navin Kumta, clinical chair of Kent and Medway CCG, said the care record will bring “significant transformational change” in the region.

“As well as helping us improve the quality and safety of care for patients, it will underpin our drive to integrate citizen’s records across health and social care,” he said. 

The record will also include a Covid-19 coronavirus dashboard, which aims to coordinate recovery and response planning through providing information such as virus hotspots and demographic information. The care record also includes information about whether a patient has been diagnosed or tested for coronavirus.

Kent and Medway deployed its Covid-19 dashboard in June 2020, which also gives staff real-time information on how many beds are available, such as intensive care beds, or beds with ventilators, as well as daily updates on personal protective equipment (PPE) and details of staff off sick with coronavirus

Clair Bell, Kent County Council cabinet member for adult and social care, said the record is a “significant step forward which will provide benefits to health and social care professionals, and most importantly to our Kent and Medway residents”.

“It is also a good example of how collaboration between organisations can deliver better services for everyone,” she said. “I am looking forward to seeing the positive impact this will have on speed and quality of care for our residents for years to come.”

The data sharing element of the record is governed by the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and all the providers and social care teams will have access to the record by April 2021. There are also plans in place to give citizens access to their own records.