Shared Care Records are increasingly being used across the UK to support more joined-up, person-centred care, giving professionals access to a single, up-to-date view of information from across health and social care.

Last year’s Shared Care Record Summit offered a detailed look at how this approach is being put into practice.

One of the standout sessions focused on the Greater Manchester Care Record and its role in understanding need, targeting support, and improving outcomes across a diverse city.

The discussion will be revisited when colleagues from Health Innovation Manchester and NHS Greater Manchester return for a dedicated webinar on February 25, 2026.

Register for the Beyond Direct Care webinar today.

 

Reflections from the 2025 Shared Care Record Summit

Last year’s summit was led by three panel speakers from Health Innovation Manchester:

·         Zharain Bawa, Secure Data Environment Product Director

·         Cara Afzal, Secure Data Environment Product Director

·         Jacqui Cooper, Chief Nursing Information Officer

The trio set out the scale of the GM Care Record and the partnerships that underpin it. The record brings together patient-level information for around three million people living in the region, drawing on data from:

• Primary care
• Acute trusts and community services
• Mental health trusts
• Councils and social care providers

With six of GM’s ten local authorities among the most deprived in the UK[1], joined-up data is essential for understanding where services are under the most pressure, and where earlier, more targeted support could make the biggest difference.

Through roadshows, in-person training, and face-to-face engagement with frontline teams, the GMCR team has been able to increase use of the shared care record.

The next phase focuses on sustaining that momentum by increasing usage further, improving data quality, and supporting new approaches to care.

The GM Care Record complements and is accessible from existing provider systems, helping improve continuity and care coordination across organisations.

 

What to expect from the February webinar

The February webinar builds on these themes, with a stronger emphasis on how shared data can support wider goals such as wellbeing, prevention, and service planning.

Speakers from Health Innovation Manchester and NHS Greater Manchester will explore how the GM Care Record is being used as a digital asset to support system-wide insight.

The session will look at how combining health and social care data helps teams identify individuals and communities most in need, deliver more timely interventions, and track the impact of change over time.

The panel includes the same speakers from last year’s summit. Together, they will reflect on how joined up working and transformed public services can address challenges that clinical care alone cannot resolve.

 

Why the conversation matters

As integrated care systems continue to mature, there is increasing pressure to use data in ways that support prevention, reduce health inequalities, and inform long-term planning. The work taking place in Greater Manchester offers a grounded example of how shared care records can contribute to these aims when they are actively used and supported.

Graphnet looks forward to attending the webinar on 25 February and engaging with delegates from across the healthcare system on how shared data can continue to support more coordinated, equitable health and care services.

Register for the Beyond Direct Care webinar today