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A senior paramedic and a pioneering digital system have been credited with helping save a patient’s life in Essex.
Lu Harrington, Senior Clinical Paramedic with the East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust, was on duty in the Unscheduled Care Coordination Hub when a concerned member of the public called 999. Their neighbour hadn’t been seen for several days and the curtains remained closed — a type of welfare check call that emergency services frequently receive, often without the background information needed to act quickly.
Crucially, Lu had access to the Mid and South Essex Shared Care Record — a secure digital platform that brings together essential health and social care information from across the region. By using the system, she was able to find contact details for the patient’s next of kin, who in turn reached out to a local key holder. That action enabled access to the property and led to a timely ambulance response, resulting in life-saving treatment for the patient.
“Having access to the Shared Care Record helped us get the right help to the patient quickly,” said Lu. “In this case, it may well have saved their life.”
The Shared Care Record allows authorised health and care professionals to view key information in one place — including medications, allergies, hospital discharge summaries, care plans and support from adult social care — even when the patient is unable to provide it themselves. Designed to support safer and faster decision-making, the system is particularly valuable in urgent situations where time is critical and personal details may be incomplete or inconsistent.
“It’s been invaluable, not just in emergencies like this, but in our day-to-day work,” Lu added. “We often use it to check medication details, which helps us decide whether someone can be safely supported at home or needs to go to hospital. It can also show us if someone has already been to A&E or has a care plan in place, helping us avoid unnecessary ambulance callouts.”
Tom Abell, Chief Executive of NHS Mid and South Essex, praised both the system and the frontline staff using it. “This case shows exactly why sharing information between health and care organisations matters. When the right information is available at the right time, it can change outcomes — and in some cases, it can save lives.”
He also pointed to the broader role of digital innovation in healthcare, noting that the NHS’s 10-Year Health Plan outlines a shift from analogue systems to digital tools that empower both professionals and patients through better data access.
“Technology like the Shared Care Record is helping us break down barriers between services and work as one team to support patients more efficiently,” he said. “But it’s the skill and dedication of people like Lu that bring those tools to life — turning digital capability into real-world impact.”
Since its launch in August 2024, the Mid and South Essex Shared Care Record has been accessed more than 638,000 times by 8,550 health and care professionals, who have viewed over 977,000 documents. It is already delivering an estimated £3.7m in annual efficiencies across the local NHS and councils by saving time, reducing duplication and enabling more joined-up care.
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