Fighting Coronavirus – together

27th May 2020

Health and care organisations across Greater Manchester have accelerated the use of a GM Care Record for all residents to provide frontline professionals with vital information in the fight against COVID-19.

The GM Care Record pulls together information held by different health and care organisations to ensure that GPs, doctors, nurses and practitioners can see up to date medical records, care plans, medications and test results to inform the right care and treatment.

It means that patients won’t have to keep repeating their medical history to each professional, clinicians will be better equipped to identify patterns and care will be planned more effectively to meet patients’ needs.

In Stockport this builds on the existing local care records that are in place already and will now create a single joined-up care record for all of GM.

In response to the pandemic, the GM Care Record also includes information about when a patient has been tested or diagnosed with COVID-19 to ensure continuity of care across different care settings.

Rapid progress on the project has been made in weeks rather than months as part of the city region’s COVID-19 digital response plan and collaborative effort.

The GM Care Record will have a direct impact on the quality and precision of care professionals are able to provide patients, particularly those with complex needs across multiple specialties.

Sharing this information has never been more important as it will greatly aid clinical decision making and will reduce the burden on both patients on clinicians, freeing up valuable time to care.

The ability to share data through the GM Care Record is backed by a GM-wide approach to data protection and information sharing in accordance with national guidance, such as defining under which circumstances professionals can access the record.

As well as being able to access information for direct care, anonymised data in relation to CV-19 will also be used for research and planning purposes to gain a greater understanding of the virus, how best to tackle it and the type of services that needs to be in place.