Change in the medical notes system for HIV Clinics

Changes to Medical Notes System for HIV Clinics

Currently, we use the Cerner IT system for HIV clinic tasks like requesting blood tests, X-rays and prescriptions. But notes from HIV clinic visits are in a separate system. We will be changing this in July 2024.

What’s changing?
We will now record HIV clinic notes in the main hospital system. Everything else will stay the same.

Why the change?
The company behind the separate system will not be able to support it in the future. Using the main hospital system provides additional measures to ensure your information is secure.

Benefits of the change
All your medical information will be in one place. So, if you are seen elsewhere in Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust, they’ll have access to your HIV notes, not just medications and test results. This means doctors won’t need to ask you as many questions about your HIV care during emergencies or other hospital visits. It makes your care safer and smoother.

How sensitive information will be handled
All NHS staff must keep information confidential. Personal and sensitive details, like those about sexual health, will be stored on a restricted part of the system. Only staff from sexual health clinics can access this.

Confidentiality
Your confidentiality remains a priority. NHS staff must uphold patient privacy. They are only allowed to look at notes of patients they directly care for. The main hospital system tracks who views your notes, and there are consequences if someone looks without permission.

Impact on GP Access
This change won't affect what your GP can see. Your GP can still access your blood test results and medications through the London Care Record, which shares information between local hospitals. Our proposed changes won't alter this. We recommend that our patients let us communicate with their GP about their HIV care to ensure they receive safe and thorough treatment.

Do you have concerns or suggestions?

Please email us at lg.trafalgarpatientqeh@nhs.net (for Trafalgar Clinic patients) or lh.AlexisClinic@nhs.net (for Alexis Clinic patients) with "notes change" in the subject line. We value your feedback!