Frequently asked questions

1. What is a local health and care record?
2. Why do we need standards for local health and care records?
3. What will the new local health and care records do?
4. What is the core information standard?
5. What is the core information?
6. How will information be used and what are the benefits of information sharing?
7. When will the core information be used?
8.  Who will be able to see the information?
9. What are the principles you used to develop the core information standard?
10. Will the core information standard change?
11. Where does the content for the core information standard come from?
12. There are other PRSB standards, how does the core information fit with those?
13. Where can I find out more information about the PRSB and the core information standard?
14. When will the core information standard be in place ?
15. Can a person update the information in their health and care record?
16. Will a person be able to say which information should be shared?

What is a local health and care record?
• Local health and care records are a regional collaboration across health, care and local authorities to develop shared health and care records to improve and coordinating individual care.
• Health and care professionals should be able to access the right information, at the right time to support care wherever it is provided (at their GP, hospital, community hospital or even at home).

2. Why do we need standards for local health and care records?
• Many local integrated health and care records exist already and are creating better joined up care for hundreds of thousands of people,
• But they are being designed and delivered independently of each other and so they lack common standards.
• This can create information silos that can’t support care when a person moves between areas, or when someone’s needs might be best served at a wider geographical level, eg at a national centre for a rare disease.

3. What will the new local health and care records do?
• They will demonstrate how information can be shared safely and securely, and for what purposes, across different places of care within a region for a large number of people (in the millions).
• They will show how appropriate information sharing directly improves the quality and efficiency of care while reducing health and care inequalities.
• The primary focus is to create integrated health and care records for providing care.

4. What is the core information standard?
• The core information standard is a standard for sharing information in health and care record. It is a consensus and evidence-based standard that defines a set of information that can potentially be shared between systems in different sites and settings, among professionals and people using services.
• It is for use across the United Kingdom.

5. What is the core information?
• The core information consists of a person’s health and care history, interactions with services, current conditions, care plans and medications.
• It’s person-centred – it could include the key information that people want to share about themselves and their needs.
• It will support professionals to deliver care from before pre-birth to death.
• It’s information that can be shared in real-time across health and social care services and with the individual themselves.
• It will NOT include all information held about a person in every organisation across health and social care but what professionals and people think it is valuable and justified to share.
• Which components of core information are accessed and used will be different depending an individual’s role and information needs. (Rules are being agreed locally regarding who will have access to an individual’s core information.)

6. How will information be used and what are the benefits of information sharing?
• It will allow people to take greater control of their own health, wellbeing and care by sharing their needs and preferences and having access to their care records.
• Information will be shared in real-time across different care settings, organisations and geographies to enable the best joined-up care to be delivered.
• It will improve safety, reduce people having to repeat themselves and will avoid notes going missing.
• Anonymised health and care data may also be used to improve local services and research.

7. When will the core information be used?
• The Core Information could be used in any situation where care is being provided, particularly across teams, organisations, settings and geographies.
However:
• Who can access what information and how much will be determined locally, but based on the National Information Governance Framework.
• How the information will be presented for professionals and individuals is important and will be determined locally.
• Organisations participating in sharing and accessing information will be determined through local data sharing agreements.

8. Who will be able to see the information?
• The information will be shared with people who are authorised to see it – professionals, the person themselves and people acting on their behalf, for example a legal guardian.
• Not all professionals will see all the information. They will only see information when there is a clear professional and legal basis for sharing.
• Protecting the confidentiality of an individuals’ sensitive health and care data is paramount. NHS England is defining national rules and guidance for ensuring that this information is protected.

9. What are the principles you used to develop the core information standard?
• People and health and care professionals must be at the centre of defining the core information they need.
• Everyone should have the opportunity to have their say and contribute through broad consultation and engagement.
• The core information standard will build on existing standards where they exist.
• The core information standard defines the information needed – not how it is technically delivered.

10. Will the core information standard change?
The core information standard will evolve over time and with experience of its use.

11. Where does the content for the core information standard come from?
The core information standard was developed in consultation with health and care professionals and patients.

12. There are other PRSB standards, how does the core information fit with those?
PRSB standards are all aligned so that if the same information eg diagnosis, is required in a discharge and in the core information standard then it will be defined in the same way with the same meaning. This will enable information to be shared between systems without losing meaning.

13. Where can I find out more information about the PRSB and the core information standard?
Information is on the PRSB website at info@theprsb.org

14. When will the core information standard be in place ?
Version 1 of the core information standard has been published in draft and is now awaiting endorsement.

15. Can a person update the information in their health and care record?
PRSB has consulted on an individual’s ability to contribute to their health and care records. The results of the consultation have informed the core information standard that can be found here along with the final report and survey results.

16. Will a person be able to say which information should be shared?
People can already express an objection to their information being shared, which professionals will note, and that will not change.