The UK’s Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust and Birmingham Community Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust have rolled out a shared patient portal, giving patients secure access to selected information held across both organisations.
The portal is powered by InterSystems Personal Community and integrated with the existing Shared Care Record used across the local health and care system. It enables patients receiving care from both trusts to access information in one place, supporting a simpler, more joined-up experience across mental health and community care services.
Patients can access the service through NHS Login, allowing them to use an existing NHS digital identity where available. Early adoption has shown strong demand, with 30,134 patients enrolled to date across the two trusts.
By building on infrastructure already used by professionals across the local health and care system, the shared portal makes selected Shared Care Record information available directly to patients without trusts needing to duplicate integration work or create separate data flows.
James Reed, Chief Clinical Information Officer, Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust, said: “Giving patients better access to their information is an important part of making care more transparent and easier to navigate. For people receiving care from both mental health and community services, being able to see information in one place is a real advantage.
“Many patients are already familiar with NHS Login through the NHS App, so they do not need to remember another username or password. It also reduces the administrative burden on the trusts.”
Patients can currently view appointment information, selected clinical letters, care plan documents, outpatient medication information from the mental health trust and ECG information where available.
Future functionality may include patient questionnaires, patient-reported outcome and experience measures, laboratory results, digital ReSPECT forms, Mental Health Act letters and wider involvement in care planning.
Jon Higham, Consultant in Oral Medicine and Chief Clinical Information Officer, Birmingham Community Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, said: “Patients often receive care from more than one part of the local health and care system. A shared patient portal gives people a clearer view of information linked to their care and provides a foundation for expanding digital access across community services.”
Over the last three months, the portal has seen an average of around 30 new enrolments per day. Following targeted email campaigns, both trusts saw significant increases in enrolment, including 14,000 sign-ups in a single day in February and a further 4,500 in a single day in March.
The shared architecture can also support future expansion. As more information is added to the Shared Care Record, the portal provides a practical route for making appropriate information available to patients while creating opportunities to extend access across additional organisations in the local care ecosystem.
Colin Henderson, Country Manager, UK and Ireland, InterSystems, said: “By building on the existing Shared Care Record foundation and enabling access through NHS Login, the trusts have taken a practical step forward in improving patient experience, through visibility of information associated with their care. The uptake is compelling and we look forward to partnering with the trusts to further enhance this service.”
