DCCR September briefing update 2022
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A new system that aims to transform the way information is shared among health and care organisations has been launched in Devon and Cornwall.
The Devon and Cornwall Care Record (DCCR) enables authorised health and care staff to see details held by a wide range of providers across Devon, Cornwall and the Isle of Scilly in a single record. It gives professionals a more complete view of a patient’s history and is part of a national programme.
In this month’s update, we hear how the system is already improving patient care and explain how your organisation can find out more and sign up to use the system.
Staff seeing the benefits of information sharing
Health and care staff from a range of organisations are now using data provided by the DCCR after its launch in August.
And, despite being in its infancy, the programme is already providing benefits for patients, professionals and the wider system.
Dr John McCormick, a GP and Chief Clinical Information Officer at NHS Devon ICB:
“The Devon and Cornwall Care Record allows information to flow more freely between health and care organisations.
“As a GP this is reassuring, because when patients are being looked after outside the practice, I know the health professionals can see relevant, up-to-date information. So, if one of my patients goes to accident and emergency, the doctors can see the medication they’re taking, for example. Likewise, I’ll be able to see any hospital treatment they received when they come to see me.
“As well as providing higher-quality, safer care, this saves health professionals time and means patients won’t have to constantly repeat their story.”
Sandra Calver, Chief Nursing Information Officer at Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust:
“An excellent example of the DCCR functioning in practice was an elderly patient who was admitted to an inpatient ward after being admitted through the emergency department. Using the DCCR, we could see she had a future outpatient appointment that could be cancelled and used by someone else.”
“It also enabled doctors to see which other professionals and providers had been treating her.”
“This helped them deliver care more effectively and led to more efficient communication between the various professionals involved in her care”
Dr Ellen Wilkinson, Chief Clinical Information Officer, Cornwall Partnership NHS Foundation Trust:
“I review patients’ mental health in the east of Cornwall.”
“Historically, it’s been difficult to get a holistic view of their physical health problems if they receive treatment at Derriford Hospital. Sometimes this requires a telephone call to each department or to the GP to get further information about acute healthcare.
“I was able to use the DCCR to consider all of the recent and planned appointments with several specialists for a person with complex neuropsychiatric problems and physical co-morbidity.
“It will be even better when I can also access the primary care record to understand recent consultations and prescriptions or interventions.”
GP practices urged to get involved
The involvement of GP practices is crucial to the success of the DCCR – the more that sign up the more comprehensive patient records will be.
We hold regular webinars to provide organisations with more information about the DCCR – as well as answer queries and let you know how you can participate.
This is also an opportunity to hear the experiences of organisations that are using the DCCR and find out how they benefit from using the system.
The next webinar is scheduled to take place on Wednesday 12 October, 12.30pm-1.30pm. To book a place contact: d-icb.devonandcornwallcarerecord@nhs.net
Who’s already signed up?
To date, 116 organisations have signed up, including 105 general practices.
The table below shows how many GP practices and patients, across the two ICSs, are included in the programme.
| ICS area | GP practices signed up to the DCCR | Patient list size of GP practices included in the DCCR |
|---|---|---|
| Cornwall and Isles of Scilly | 32 out of 56 (57%) | 370,292 out of 597,016 (62%) |
| Devon | 73 out of 121 (60%) | 811,913 out of 1,270,735 (64%) |
What information is shared?
Staff using the DCCR can currently see the information below. However, over time, this will increase as more organisations sign up to the programme, and existing contributors share more information with the system.
| Data Sets | Description |
|---|---|
| Demographic information | Demographic data, such as name and contact details for patients across Devon, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly |
| Encounter information from NHS Trusts | Encounter data for inpatient and outpatient appointments, and some urgent care services from: Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust (RCHT) University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust (UHP) Cornwall Partnership NHS Foundation Trust (CFT) |
| Information from general practice | Information from a patient’s GP record, including medication, allergies, problems, diagnoses, encounters and investigations |
| Information from community services | Information from community services provided by Livewell Southwest and UHP, including appointment information, referrals, allergies and problems |
| Information from IAPT Talkworks service | High-level information about episodes of care and appointments from the IAPT (Improving Access to Psychological Therapies) service, Talkworks, provided by Devon Partnership Trust (DPT) |
Find out more about the DCCR
The programme team has also produced a range of resources to help staff and patients find out more about the DCCR. These include a:
- Quick guide to the DCCR – provides staff of participating organisations (and those who may sign up in the future) with basic details information about the programme.
- Patient communication toolkit – a suite of marketing materials to help organisations inform their patients and service users about the DCCR and its benefits. This includes email text, a web article, a leaflet and digital graphics.
- Website – provides information for patients and health and care staff about the DCCR. The site can be found at https://devonandcornwallcarerecord.nhs.uk/
- Training website – supports staff of participating organisations in the use of the DCCR platform. The site includes user guides and short videos and can be found at https://elearning.cornwall.nhs.uk/?p=site/m/devon-and-cornwall-care-record
Spread the word and get in touch
Please forward this email to any colleagues who might be interested in knowing more about the Devon and Cornwall Care Record. And if you have any questions about the programme or would like to find out more, please email the team at d-ccg.devonandcornwallcarerecord.pmo@nhs.net
