A Summary Care Record (SCR) is an electronic record of important patient information, created from GP medical records.
Your Summary Care Record contains important information about any medicines you are taking, any allergies you suffer from and any bad reactions to medicines that you have previously experienced.
Allowing authorised healthcare staff to have access to this information will improve decision making by doctors and other healthcare professionals and has prevented mistakes being made when patients are being cared for in an emergency or when their GP practice is closed.
What Are My Choices?
If you choose to have a Summary Care Record, you do not need to do anything as a Summary Care Record is automatically created for you.
If you choose to not have a Summary Care Record you will need to download the opt out form and bring it into the surgery. If you choose to opt out of having a record, your Summary Care Record will no longer be able to be accessed by healthcare professionals.
Children and the Summary Care Record
If you are the parent or guardian of a child under 16, you should make this information available to them and support the child to come to a decision as to whether to have a Summary Care Record or not.
If you believe that your child should opt-out of having a Summary Care Record, we strongly recommend that you discuss this with your child's GP. This will allow your child's GP to highlight the consequences of opting-out, prior to you finalising your decision.
See here for more information: systems.hscic.gov.uk [EXTERNAL PDF LINK]
Variations of the above information are used in new patient registration packs in the new patient registration process to remind new patients at practices of their choices around SCR.
More Information
For further information visit the NHS Care records website
Download the opt out form