Is more data sharing needed?

COULD better data sharing in Warrington improve care? Residents are being asked to have their say as part of a new inquiry.
Patient information isn’t always automatically shared between care professionals such as GPs, midwives, consultants or social workers when they are providing care to a patient, client or service user.
Partners in Warrington have come together to look at this and see how local data sharing affects care and to see if any improvements can be made.
The organisations in the partnership include Warrington Borough Council, NHS Warrington Clinical Commissioning Group, Warrington and Halton Hospitals Foundation Trust, 5 Boroughs Partnership NHS Trust and Bridgewater Community NHS Foundation Trust.
A Select Committee-style inquiry is exploring local residents and professionals experiences of data sharing. The inquiry aims to gather
information, opinions and experiences to see whether health and social care is compromised when data is not shared.
The inquiry will consist of the gathering of written evidence, through a survey, written submissions and social media, followed by three formal public hearings where expert witnesses, professionals and members of the public will give their views orally, based on their experiences of data sharing.
The evidence will look at current data sharing and investigate whether this level is impacting on care or on patient experience and if so, identify what the barriers to sharing are.
Inquiry chairman Bob Saunders said: “By bringing together people with differing views and by having open, honest conversations in public we will be able to go some way to identifying and addressing issues that may be having an impact on care.
“We want residents to receive the best possible care in Warrington and this inquiry will help to see if organisations need to make changes to data sharing processes to make this happen.
“We know that patient data is private and there may be concerns about sharing it. So, we want to hear everyone’s views to see if any changes need to be made and if so, make recommendations for changes that are right for you. Everyone can have their say, so please do take the time to fill out the survey and make your opinion count.”
Further information is available from [email protected]