This section of the website explains how to register for and activate Summary Care Record (SCR) access in your pharmacy, and who to contact with queries or problems. See the Quality Payments section of our website for information about the SCR Quality Payment.

Registering for and going live with SCR

NHS Digital: Essential guidance and up-to-date documents

You need to visit the NHS Digital website for the most up-to-date and authoritative guidance. It has excellent, step-by-step guidance on how to register for and activate SCR in your pharmacy. It also explains how to get your smartcard authorised for SCR. The NHS Digital website is the best place to get information about SCR and links to all the key documents.

NHS Digital: Getting started with SCR from 1st April 2017

Our summary of the process

We have included a summary of the process and links to documents on this webpage but the NHS Digital website will have the most up-to-date information and documents. Download our guidance as a PDF.

Pharmacy:

• Appoint at least one SCR Governance Person (SGP, i.e. a privacy officer) – it’s recommended you have at least two.
• Develop SOPs for SCR use and develop/update those for related services e.g. flu vaccination and MURs. (There is a template SCR SOP here.)
• Complete the Acceptable User Agreement. (You must do one per site.)

SCR Governance People (SGPs):

• Check your smartcard works. Contact royblair@nhs.net,  0161 212 5025 or 07887 210625 if you don’t have a smartcard or it’s not working.
• Complete the online SGP training.
• Apply for the SGP role to be added to your smartcard.
• Once SCR has gone live, monitor usage in line with the SGP role.

Individual users:

• Check your smartcard works. Contact royblair@nhs.net,  0161 212 5025 or 07887 210625 if you don’t have a smartcard or it’s not working.
• Complete the online CPPE e-learning and assessment.
• Apply for SCR access to be added to your smartcard.
• Locums and organisations that use them: there is special guidance for locums and pharmacies using them here.

Getting started when you have SCR access:

• Once SCR roles have been added to staff smartcards, go to the SCR spine portal.  Save the page in your internet favourites/bookmarks or as a desktop shortcut.
• Then check you have access using test NHS patient numbers (not real patients) – you can get test numbers and further guidance here.

Troubleshooting

Your system must be compatible with the SCR technical requirements. If you have problems, speak to your IT support and/or pharmacy system supplier.

If you have any queries about using Summary Care Record, you can contact NHS Digital on scrpharmacy@nhs.net or 0300 303 5678.

Other useful links

• This SCR Process document is a useful visual guide
• This document is an example of the Acceptable User Agreement (AUA) process
• This document is an example of the smartcard process 

Registration Authority (RA) leads

These are the Current RA Contacts for queries about smartcards (last updated 11/10/2019). Roy Blair is the North West RA contact and covers Greater Manchester. RA Contacts locations

NHS Digital

• Getting started and implementing SCR
• Contact scrpharmacy@nhs.net or 0300 303 5678 with any SCR queries or problems