The document outlines a strategy for improving health and social care information systems to empower individuals and integrate care services. It emphasizes the importance of accessibility, transparency, and a culture of shared information among professionals, aiming to reduce inequalities and enhance patient engagement. Key themes include electronic access to records, integration across care pathways, and ongoing support and training for healthcare professionals.

1. The power of information
Putting all of us in control of the health
and care information we need

2. the vision: people first
• Joined up systems and shared data standards will facilitate and drive integration
within and between organisations and care settings to ensure that care is focused
around the person and their health and care needs. This is why the strategy spans the
NHS, public health and social care.
• Getting the right information to the right people at the right time – in a form they can
understand, engage with and contribute to – will help individuals take control of their
own care, improving self-management, shared decision making, and more informed
choices.
• Needs support and advocacy to help people in all
sectors of society to make meaningful use of
it, harnessing modern technology where that is helpful.
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3. the vision: care records - a core source of data

4. the information strategy: main ambitions
• Information used to drive integrated care
across the entire health and social care sector
• Information regarded as a health and care service in its own right –
with appropriate support in using information available for those who need it, so that
information benefits everyone and helps reduce inequalities
• A change in culture and mindset, in which our health and care
professionals, organisations and systems recognise that information in our own care
records is fundamentally about us - so it becomes normal for us to access our own
records
• Information recorded once, at our first contact with professional
staff, and shared securely between those providing our care – supported by
consistent use of information standards that enable data to flow between systems
whilst keeping our confidential information safe and secure

5. the information strategy: main ambitions
• Our electronic care records become the source for core information
used to improve our care, improve services and to inform research, etc. – reducing
bureaucratic data collections and enabling us to measure quality
• A culture of transparency
where access to high-quality, evidence-based information about services and the
quality of care held by Government and health and care services is openly and easily
available to us all
• An information-led culture where all health and care professionals take
responsibility for recording, sharing and using information to improve care
• The widespread use of modern technology
to make health and care services more convenient, accessible and efficient
• An information system built on innovative and integrated solutions and
local decision-making, within a framework of national standards that ensure
information can move freely, safely, and securely around the system

6. key themes: records access
• In the long term, the vision is for all health and care records to be
securely accessible online
• Early priority is GP records – technologically already possible for most
practices. Everyone will be able to access their GP record online by 2015
• Support to access and use information is a vital part of care, and
commissioners should ensure information benefits everyone and does not
increase health inequalities
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7. key themes: integration
First steps:
• GP letters and hospital discharge letters to be available electronically
• Clinical portals and other mechanisms to support clinicians to access
relevant records easily
• We need to re-balance the approach to information governance to
encourage greater sharing of information to improve care. An
independent review will look at this in more detail
Longer term:
• Information to be shared securely across care pathways, using the
NHS number in all settings
• Information from care records aggregated and anonymised to support
research, service improvement and commissioning
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8. key themes: transparency
• Transparency will be the norm, with clear commitments for the datasets
that will be made available from the Information Centre
• There will be clear routes to information through:
• 999 for emergencies
• 111 for urgent care
• A comprehensive online ‘portal’ for everything else – both
information government provides and a link to trusted information
from others
• Greater use of feedback and clinical benchmarking
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9. key themes: culture
Many of the changes needed to meet our vision are cultural, and there are
several aspects of the strategy influencing culture:
• An emphasis on training for all professionals
• A stronger professional identity for informatics professionals
• Considering a Chief Clinical Information Officer role in providers
• The Information Governance review will understand and influence the
culture in our services around sharing information
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10. the vision: how we‟ll get there
The strategy includes a number of central and local level actions -
all require partnership working
Centrally Locally
• A standards „route map’ will be • Organisations will seek and respond to
developed patient and service user feedback
• A comprehensive online „portal‟ will • Procurement decisions will be made in
bring together the best of the relevant line with the information standards
information on health, public roadmap
health, care and support • Support for interpreting information
• All nationally held clinical datasets will be provided to those who need it
will be published by 2014, but not at • Electronic transactions will be made
a level which allows identification of available to patients
patients • There will be better use of
• Central bodies (the pharmaceuticals
CQC, Monitor, the NHS CB) will • The informatics profession will be
consider how they can incentivise developed
the vision in this strategy • Online professional access to records
• An independent review of will allow the sharing of records
information governance will be led • Patients will, in time, have access to
by Dame Fiona Caldicott records beyond general practice

11. the strategy online: aimed at real people
• online version includes sections on
“what the strategy means for me” using
a wide range of case studies
• easy-read developed in partnership with
CHANGE, a learning disability
organisation
• equality impact assessment co-
produced by the Department of Health
with 13 other organisations
• extensive partnership working with
Intellect, Royal College of GPs and many
others
www.informationstrategy.dh.gov.uk

12. Anne Cooper
National Clinical Lead for Nursing
Department of Health
Informatics Directorate
anne.cooper@nhs.net
@anniecoops
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