IT Changes – Statement of Intent

New contractual requirements came into force from 1^st April 2014 requiring that GP practices should make available a statement of intent in relation to the requirements of its IT developments.

Under the new NHS GMS Contract (2014/2015 requirements), all GP practices are required to offer and promote patients’ online access to services such as booking and cancelling appointments and the ordering of repeat prescriptions.  Further requirements seek to ensure the safe and effective electronic transfer of patient records and support better referral management.  Detailed below are the practice plans for implementing the requirements as soon as possible as the practice must, by 30 September 2014, publicise our statement of intent at the practice premises and, on our website.  The Health Secretary has also set a deadline of April 2015 for practices to provide online access to their own records, which as a minimum means giving patients access to the information contained in their Summary Care Record upload.

Dr Jones & Partners plan to offer and promote the following online services by 31st March 2015 (patients may also find the ‘data-sharing information page’ helpful in outlining the differences between the below IT changes & care.data/eDSM)

1. Referral Management                                                 
2. Patient Access to records                                         
3. Electronic Appointment Booking                              
4. On-line Booking of repeat prescriptions
5. Summary Care Record  (SCR)
6. GP2GP transfers

Referral management  

All practices must include the NHS Number as the primary identifier in all NHS clinical correspondence issued by the practice. This system is in place.

Patient Online Access to Their GP Record, Repeat Prescriptions & Electronic Appointment Booking

NHS England require practices to promote and offer the facility to enable patients to have online access to appointments, prescriptions, allergies and adverse reactions or have published plans in place to achieve this by 31 March 2015. Dr Jones & partners already offer online appointment booking & repeat prescription management at both sites & will publish plans to provide patients online access to medical records (as set out above) by 31 March 2015.

Summary Care Record

All GP practices are required to provide an automated upload of any changes to a patient’s summary information, at least once every working day, to the Summary Care Record (SCR).  The Guildhall & Barrow Surgery provides automated uploads of any changes to a patient’s summary information, at least on a daily basis, to the Summary Care Record.

GP2GP transfers

GP2GP system is currently in use at this practice & facilitates the electronic transfer of medical records upon full registration of any patient (subject to the capability of the de-registering practice).