12 August 2013
Patients at Greytown and Featherston Medical Centres can now reap the benefits of the regional Shared Care Record project. This means that if they arrive in the Wairarapa Hospital Emergency department or need to seek out of hours medical services at another practice, the clinicians can see a summary of their GP medical notes. This reduces risk for patients and helps clinicians to treat patients faster and more confidently.
95% of patients in the Wairarapa now have a ‘shared care record’. Carterton, Whaiora, Martinborough and Masterton Medical Centres have been taking part in this project since it was launched in 2011. Both patients and clinicians report benefits in having health information available in after hours or hospital health care settings. Registered Community Pharmacists have recently been given access to the system, as a further quality and safety measure when discussing and dispensing medicines.
‘We are really pleased to see two more general practices joining the Shared Care Record project along with the recent inclusion of Community Pharmacy,” says Chris Kerr, Clinical Director for Compass Health. “This increased participation provides more opportunities for health professionals to provide highly co-ordinated care for all patients. We are often getting feedback that patients are being treated more quickly because of the easy access by their doctors and nurses to this information.”
Only registered health professionals have access to the Shared Care Record and only for the purpose of caring for a patient. Patients at participating practices can choose ‘opt out’ of the project at any time. If anyone would like more information about this project or they would like to opt out of having a shared record they can phone 0800 727 664.