We are introducing new computer systems and services to improve the safety and quality of your care. Better access to your information makes your care quicker, safer and more personal.

Over time, more health records will be made electronic, giving our staff quicker access to reliable information about you to help with your treatment, including in an emergency.

It is likely that your GP or consultant already uses a computer system to keep notes of appointments they have with you, plus any medicines you have been prescribed, test results and details of any referrals to other healthcare staff.

X-rays and scans are also increasingly held on computers rather than sheets of film. Making more records electronic in other places of care, such as hospitals or walk-in centres, will help make care safer and more efficient.

The purpose of electronic health records is to allow people to access information about you more quickly, and to gradually phase out paper and film records which can be more difficult to access.

There are different types of health records.

• Summary Care Records – held nationally
• Records held in prescriptions, referrals and other local systems
• Detailed care records - held locally

With electronic health records

Healthcare staff supporting and providing your care will be able to see and share up-to-date, accurate information about you to help them make decisions and to prevent mistakes. For example, they will be able to make better decisions about what medicine to give you if they know what you are already taking, or if you have had a bad reaction to a medicine in the past.

Your care is less likely to be delayed because your paper records are somewhere else. We won't need to do as many tests because the results were lost or are unavailable.

You should not have to repeat the same details over and over again when you receive care – NHS healthcare staff will get better access to a more complete picture of your health history.