Summary Care Record application (SCRa)

SCRa is a web based application which allows health and care professionals to view clinical and demographic information using:

• Personal Demographics Service (PDS) - including the ability to edit patient demographic information
• Summary Care Record (SCR) - core and Additional Information
• Child Protection - Information Sharing project (CP-IS)
• Female Genital Mutilation - Information Sharing (FGM IS)
• Overseas Visitors and Migrants (OVM)
• Coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccination event information
• COVID-19 exemptions information

SCRa provides a way to view a Summary Care Record (SCR).

SCR can also be accessed using integrated viewers in existing clinical systems, for example Adastra (Advanced Health and Care), Web (EMIS) and SystmOne (TPP).

To use SCRa, a user requires a smartcard, passcode and relevant role for authentication.

Connection requirements

To access SCRa, you will need:

• a Health and Social Care Network (HSCN) (N3) connection
• to have reviewed the data security and protection toolkit (former information governance toolkit)
• a smartcard with appropriate Role Based Access Control
• local technical configuration including Identity Agent and NHS Credential Management as per Warranted Environment Specification on all user PCs
• an assigned privacy officer for alert and audit purposes when viewing SCR
• agreed local processes to ensure robust governance - when viewing SCR you will need to follow the Permission to View guidelines
• to have planned training for users covering the features your organisation plans to use

Connecting community pharmacies

NHS Digital is working to make sure all community pharmacies can view Summary Care Records (SCR). See the Summary Care Record (SCR) in community pharmacy page for full details.

To help the NHS to respond to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, we are providing coronavirus vaccination event information and additional information in Summary Care Records for patients by default, unless they have previously told the NHS that they did not want their information to be shared. 

There will also be a temporary change to include COVID-19 codes on the patient’s SCR. Users of the Summary Care Record application and the 1-Click Service will be made aware of specific suspected and confirmed COVID-19 information by a message box displayed on the SCR.

SCRa has been updated to support the process which allows citizens to apply for official proof that, for medical reasons, they’re unable to be vaccinated and/or tested for COVID-19 for medical reasons.

We would like to know more about how health and care professionals access patient records, to better understand how we can tailor future developments to meet their needs. Join our user research group.

Please email your enquiries to: enquiries@nhsdigital.nhs.uk and reference the SCRa.