Your medical records could be used to save lives

Tuesday 08 April 2014

GP’s are prescribing a new way of storing your medical records which they will access like a bank account.

The bank of Islanders' medical records will mean that with your permission other GPs can look up your medical history and find out what drugs you’ve been on if you need to see them out of hours or in an emergency – helping them to make quicker and better decisions about how to treat you.

It will also help provide statistics so the Health department can see how many Islanders are suffering from chronic diseases like diabetes, obesity and smoking related illnesses - and they’ll also be able to spot any epidemics developing.

The GP Central Services System has been set up by the Island’s GPs and the Social Security department using £1 million from the Health Insurance Fund and will cost £200,000 per year to run. It’s taken six years of planning and they’ve worked closely with the Island’s Data Protection Commissioner to make sure your medical history stays confidential. Although some were sceptical of the new system, all surgeries have now signed up and the first practice will start using it in July.

Chair of the Primary Care Body which represents all Jersey GPs, Dr Nigel Minihane, said: “I’m delighted that this new centralised GP medical records system is being introduced. It will improve patient safety and continuity of care when a patient is seen at more than one surgery or the Out of Hours Service.

“Medical records remain confidential and secure. Patients will always be asked before their details are accessed and they have the right to stop all or part of their medical history being shared with other medical professionals.”

Social Security Minister Francis Le Gresley said: “This is a significant project for Jersey. Social Security and Health and Social Services have worked with the GPs to improve patient care and increase our understanding of what the Island’s healthcare requirements are.”

There are plans for the system to be extended to the Hospital’s Emergency department and other care providers like Family Nursing & Home Care and Jersey Hospice in the future.

Leaflets are being sent out to all households in the next few weeks explaining how the new system works and you can find out more on www.gov.je/YourGPrecords and the PCB website www.primarycarebody.com