A new Information Standard has been published to support improved medication and sharing of allergy information across healthcare services in England.
The move will standardise medication message content and help reduce medicines related errors and improve patient safety.
It will also allow efficient sharing of medicine information between NHS and social care organisations, including hospitals, GP practices, residential care homes, mental health trusts, and community pharmacies.
The Standard that came into effect in October “will save healthcare professionals valuable time accessing key medicines information, provide clinicians with access to a richer source of information, consistent across all care settings”, said Shahzad Ali, NHS Digital clinical lead for the Interoperable Medicines Programme.
The Standard was commissioned by NHSX and developed by NHSX and NHS Digital in consultation with INTEROPen, The Professional Record Standards Body, UK FHIR and The Interoperable Medicine Standards Working Group.
Dr Simon Eccles, deputy CEO of NHSX and national chief clinical information officer said the collaborative effort “will make a real difference to the care and support local clinicians can provide to their patients.”
NHS and social care organizations are required to be compliant with the Standard by March 31, 2023.
