Under consideration PE2282: Accelerate a Unified NHS Scotland Patient Record System, Share Data and Save Lives
Calling on the Scottish Parliament to urge the Scottish Government to accelerate the implementation of the Digital Health and Care Record (DHCR) and to introduce interim measures for specific conditions, such as blood cancer, to improve the sharing and accessibility of patient data for multi-disciplinary teams, including test results, imaging and previous treatments, across all 14 territorial health boards until the DHRC is implemented, to strengthen patient safety and reduce the risk of harm.
Background information
NHS Scotland remains digitally fragmented, with different health boards using different systems. For patients with complex, rare or life-threatening conditions, whose care may involve specialists and hospitals across several regions, access to complete and current medical information is critical.
My late daughter Sarah was treated by 7 hospitals across 3 NHS regions during her illness with a rare non-Hodgkin Lymphoma. Sarah was failed by the system, information was not shared, mistakes happened and her life taken too soon.
But this is bigger than my family's experience. Clinicians should not rely on phone calls, emails, letters or manual transfers to piece together vital information held elsewhere in NHS Scotland.
Until Scotland has a mandatory unified, interoperable system where authorised clinicians can securely access the information they need, interim measures are urgently required. These will help to reduce delays, improve continuity of care and protect patients from avoidable harm.
52 signatures
This petition is now under consideration
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