Jonathan Papworth, co-founder and director of Person Centred Software, unpacks the opportunities and challenges arising from the complex matter of closer data integration between health and social care
In the not too distant future, there will be no doubt people will say, ‘Do you remember when you had to tell the doctor what your problem was, and if they referred you to a consultant, they then asked you the same thing again? If you then had to see a specialist, they would ask the exact same thing. It was ridiculous that each person had to ask the same questions over and over again!’.
This situation is even worse for people in long-term social care, and in particular for people living with learning disabilities, where family members find themselves repeatedly explaining that their loved one reacts negatively to what health care staff would consider a routine procedure
That could be taking blood pressure, for example, where for some people it can trigger anxiety or even a panic attack. The current situation where information is not being shared will one day be seen as archaic - and in many aspects of our lives it already is. Personal data such as credit card details can be entered once, stored securely, and used for purchases from any number of different organisations.
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