Shared Care Records and Connected Information
Shared Care Records provide health and care professionals, including our ambulance clinicians, with access to the information they need to deliver safe, effective, and joined-up care.
Shared Care Records provide health and care professionals, including our ambulance clinicians, with access to the information they need to deliver safe, effective, and joined-up care.
By securely bringing together relevant information from different NHS and care organisations, clinicians can access a more complete picture of a patient’s health and care needs at the point of care. This helps us make more informed decisions, reduce duplication, improve coordination between services and deliver the right care, first time.
For ambulance clinicians, access to shared information can be particularly valuable during urgent and emergency situations where patients may be unable to communicate, have complex medical histories or receive care from multiple organisations. Having timely access to relevant information supports safer assessments, more personalised treatment decisions and improves continuity of care across the health and care system.
Information available through shared care records and connected services may include:
Shared Care Records across our region
We serve a large and diverse population across Kent & Medway, Sussex, Surrey and north east Hampshire. Our clinicians access a range of local and national information-sharing systems. Availability varies depending on the clinical setting and current stage of implementation.
The table below outlines the shared care records and national systems currently available to our teams:
| Service | Frontline ambulance clinicians | Integrated care (999/111 contact centre and clinical hubs) |
| GP Connect | ✅ Available | ✅ Available |
| Kent & Medway Care Record (KMCR) | ✅ Available | ✅ Available |
| Thames Valley & Surrey Care Record (TVS) | 🟡 In Testing | ✅ Available |
| Plexus (Sussex Shared Care Record) | 🟡 In Testing | 🟡 In Testing |
| National Care Records Service (NCRS) / National Record Locator (NRL) | 🟡 In Testing | ✅ Available |
| IBIS | ✅ Available | ✅ Available |
GP Connect: Available to all clinicians across our region, GP Connect provides access to relevant information held within a patient’s GP record. This supports timely clinical decision making and improved continuity of care.
Kent and Medway Care Record (KMCR): Brings together information from GP practices, hospitals, community services, mental health services and social care organisations across Kent and Medway, providing a comprehensive view of a patient’s care.
Plexus Care Record (Sussex): The Sussex shared care record, bringing together information from health and care organisations across Sussex. It supports clinicians by providing an up-to-date view of a person’s health, care plans, medications, allergies, and wider care arrangements.
Thames Valley and Surrey Care Record (TVS): Supports information sharing across Surrey and neighbouring areas, helping healthcare professionals’ access relevant patient information from multiple care settings.
National Care Records Service (NCRS): Provides access to nationally-available clinical information, including services such as the National Record Locator, Child Protection Information Sharing (CPIS) and the Reasonable Adjustment Digital Flag, supporting safer and more equitable care.
National Record Locator (NRL): The National Record Locator enables clinicians to access important nationally shared documents, including mental health crisis plans, advance care plans and other key information held by healthcare organisations across England.
Specialist Care Planning and Information Sharing: Alongside shared care records and national NHS services, we continues to utilise IBIS (Intelligence Based Information System) to support specialist care planning and information sharing.
IBIS enables healthcare teams to create and share patient-specific care plans, treatment guidance, Patient Specific Instructions (PSIs) and other information that supports the management of patients with complex or ongoing healthcare needs. It also facilitates communication between ambulance services and community care teams, helping ensure information is shared appropriately following emergency contacts.
Kent and Medway – Following the successful rollout of access to the Kent and Medway Care Record (KMCR) for SECAmb frontline clinicians, alongside GP Connect, we will no longer accept new ReSPECT plans or DNACPR documentation submitted directly to IBIS for patients residing within Kent and Medway.
This change reflects the increasing availability of real-time patient information through the local shared care record. Healthcare providers across Kent and Medway are asked to ensure that Advance Care Plans are uploaded to the Kent and Medway Care Record in accordance with local processes.
Thames Valley and Surrey – We are working closely with partners to enable frontline clinicians to access Thames Valley and Surrey Shared Care Records directly from the Trust’s electronic Patient Care Record (ePCR) system. A planned upgrade to the Thames Valley and Surrey Care Record platform is expected to support this capability later in 2026-27.
Until this work is complete, we will continue to accept ReSPECT plans or DNACPR forms through the amended IBIS process listed below.
Sussex – We are working with colleagues from the Sussex Integrated Care System and the Sussex Plexus programme to explore how information can be incorporated within the Sussex shared care record environment. The long-term ambition is for this information to be available through the National Care Records Service (NCRS) and National Record Locator, ensuring authorised healthcare professionals can access the information when and where it is needed most.
Until this work is complete, SECAmb will continue to accept ReSPECT plans or DNACPR forms through the amended IBIS process listed below.
DNACPR forms: While we will continue to recognise and act upon valid DNACPR decisions in line with national guidance, we strongly encourage healthcare providers to consider completing a ReSPECT (Recommended Summary Plan for Emergency Care and Treatment) form wherever appropriate.
Unlike a DNACPR form, which focuses solely on cardiopulmonary resuscitation decisions, a ReSPECT plan provides a broader summary of a person’s clinical priorities, treatment preferences, and agreed recommendations for emergency care.
This gives ambulance clinicians greater context to support decision-making, helping to ensure care is delivered in accordance with the patient’s wishes and overall treatment goals, particularly during urgent and emergency situations.
To support this phased transition, providers are asked to follow the regional process for submitting documentation to IBIS:
Please note that respect@secamb.nhs.uk and dnacpr@secamb.nhs.uk will be decommissioned and will no longer be monitored. Any documentation sent to these addresses will not be actioned.
A Patient Specific Instruction (PSI) may be requested for patients with complex, long-term or specialist healthcare needs where additional clinical guidance would support ambulance clinicians in delivering care that is tailored to the individual’s condition and treatment plan.
Requests should be submitted by an appropriately qualified healthcare professional who is directly involved in the patient’s care and who can provide clear clinical justification for the instruction.
For futher details and to request a submission template please contact PatientAlert@secamb.nhs.uk