1 April 2008

Health Minister launches Emergency Care Project

Health Minister Michael McGimpsey has launched a new Emergency Care Project for patients attending A&E and Out-of-Hours services.

The Southern Health and Social Care Trust will be the first in Northern Ireland to introduce the NI Emergency Care Record (NIECR).

Based on a system successfully operating in Scotland since 2005, the Emergency Care Record is a summary of patient information taken from GP practices. It includes the patient's date of birth and gender; their address and phone number; current medication and any known allergies.

Launching the new project during a visit to the GP out of hours centre based at Craigavon Area Hospital, the Minister said: "Most people imagine that if they need medical help in the night or at a week-end and are treated by staff in an Out-of-Hours setting, or at an A&E Department, the staff there will have access to their medical records. This is not the case.

"All of the diagnoses and treatments carried out by the clinicians in GP Out-of-Hours and A&E services are based on what the patient tells the doctors, for example, what they are allergic to or what medication they are currently taking, and any information that is available from previous visits.

"But this carries a degree of risk to patients, particularly when they may be too ill, confused or traumatised to remember.

"The NI Emergency Care Record will now make key information from patients' medical records, held by GP practices, available to GP Out-of-Hours and Accident and Emergency staff."

The GP Out-of-Hours services based at South Tyrone Hospital, Dungannon and Mullinure, Armagh will be the first in the province to use the Emergency Care Record.

Welcoming the Emergency Care Record, Chief Executive of the Southern Health and Social Care Trust, Colm Donaghy, said: "The Emergency Care Record will give staff working in the GP Out-of-Hours service more detailed medical information about their patients, enabling them to make more informed decisions in their treatment and give them the best possible care.

"Only the health service staff involved in treating the patient will have access to this information, and we have stringent measures in place to control access and protect patient confidentiality."

Each household in Armagh and Dungannon has received a mailing, giving patients the chance to opt out of the Emergency Care Record. Patients will be asked for their explicit consent to access their Record each time they are being treated by the GP Out of Hours service. In exceptional circumstances where a patient is seriously ill and unable to give consent, the doctor has the discretion to access their Emergency Care Record in the interests of their safe treatment.

The scheme will be extended to the Accident and Emergency and GP Out of Hours Services at Craigavon Area Hospital over the coming months before hopefully being rolled out across the rest of Northern Ireland.

[Notes to Editors:

1. In Northern Ireland there are 5 GP Out-of-Hours Services which deal with around 450,000 patient contacts either by phone or in person per annum. There are also 11 A&E Departments which operate a 24 Hour service and in total they handle around 700,000 attendances per annum.

2. A Photograph of the launch is available from the Southern Health and Social Care Trust Tel: 028 3861 3815]