Healthcare champion Jack Welch believes the Dorset Care Record (DCR) could help people with mental health issues as it will stop people having to tell their story time and time again.
The DCR is to introduce mental health contacts and alerts in the first phase, due to come on stream in October.
GPs, social care and hospitals being able to add mental health referral details and provide goals and care plans in phase 1b, which will launch next February.
Jack was referred to a paediatrician at the John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, while at school, who diagnosed autism. Jack says one of his teachers recognised autistic traits from his behaviour: “I did find certain subjects, particularly maths, very challenging. The creative side of my brain is definitely stronger.”
He found focusing very difficult and he was prescribed cod liver oil by his GP to help boost his concentration, which he believes, definitely helped.
The lure of the seaside was never far away – Jack’s family regularly visited Weymouth during the summer holidays – and at the end of year seven they moved to the seaside town. Jack was able to secure extra support at Wey Valley despite not receiving an Education Health and Care (EHC) Plan and regularly saw his GP and physiotherapist to cope with hyper-mobility in his hands, which caused problems with coordination and in particular hand-writing.
One of the issues that Jack found difficult was having to tell his story so many times to different locums: “You rarely get to see your GP and you have so little time to talk about your issues in a ten minute slot.”
Jack feels the DCR could be of real benefit: “It would be great not having to explain yourself two or three times over and hopefully this extra time will enable the doctor to explore the situation in more depth.
“The care record is a bit like a passport and I hope it will mean that professionals providing treatment will know how to speak to individuals and what should and should not be asked. It ought to allow a better tailored, people-centric service and should help overcome the communication barriers that can arise.
“Ideally, autistic people should know what to expect when they come through the door of the surgery and that includes how they are welcomed and received by the receptionist and how they are spoken to by the doctor.”
Doctors must not make a judgement straightaway, he stressed, and people seeking separate treatment must not be seen purely through an autistic lens.
Among the benefits of the Dorset Care Record are coordinated and safer care, clear decisions about individual’s care, no need to repeat details to different professional, a record that is up to date and always available and the ability to provided coordinated care around people’s needs.