GNCR ambassador case study – Annabelle Plyming, Consultant in palliative medicine, County Durham and Darlington NHS FT
Dr. Annabelle Plyming is a consultant in palliative care working across hospital, hospice, and community settings in County Durham. From her base at the University Hospital of North Durham, she supports patients and specialist nursing teams throughout the region, including at the Willow Burn Hospice in Lanchester.
A consistent user of the Great North Care Record (GNCR), Dr. Plyming shares her experience of how access to shared care records is transforming patient care in palliative and social care settings.
Breaking down barriers between systems
In her day-to-day work, Annabelle navigates multiple care settings – hospital, community, and hospice – each traditionally operating on different IT systems.
The GNCR allows secure access to vital patient information from other Trusts (complying with Information Governance and Data protection guidelines). This is very useful for Annabelle, when looking for patient data recorded at centres in Newcastle, which manages a large proportion of oncology cases in the region.
“I can often access the most recent oncology letters, scan results, and treatment details – without having to duplicate work or order unnecessary tests.”
Real-time access to vital information
One particularly impactful case involved a hospice patient referred with potential symptoms of spinal cord compression – a palliative emergency. “Before GNCR, we might have admitted them for urgent scans. But I checked the shared record and found a recent MRI showing she’d already received appropriate treatment. That information helped us avoid unnecessary hospitalisation and focus on symptom management instead.”
This streamlined approach not only spared the patient an invasive process but also preserved NHS resources, improved continuity of care, and ensured the focus remained on quality of life.
Gaps in data still present challenges
However, access isn’t universal. “There are some areas in the region where patient records are not yet shared via the GNCR. In those cases, I’ve had to piece things together manually—chasing scan results, contacting secretaries, tracking down oncologists—to get basic information.”
Annabelle is optimistic that as more Trusts share information with GNCR, usage will expand organically. “If there’s more data, there’s a more informed decision – ultimately resulting in a better patient experience.”
Supporting colleagues and embedding use
Annabelle not only uses the GNCR extensively herself but also champions its adoption among colleagues. “Resident doctors aren’t always aware of it. I make a point to show them how to use it, especially how to customise the view – putting clinical letters at the top, for example. It makes a huge difference when they can find what they need quickly.”
She also notes the value of colleagues like the hospital acute oncology specialist nurses who proactively pull GNCR records and integrate them into paper notes, bridging the digital knowledge gap in high-pressure settings.
She also draws on her background as a GP to help patients make sense of specialist input. “Sometimes people misremember or misinterpret what they’ve been told. Having the oncology letter there helps me clarify: this is what was said. It jogs memories and supports shared decision-making.”
Shared care records in palliative settings
Looking ahead, Annabelle sees huge potential for the GNCR to go even further. “Advance care plans including Do Not Attempt CPR (DNACPR) decisions, and emergency health care plans (EHCPs) should all be in there. If paramedics or out-of-hours services could see those, it would save distressing hospital trips and enable people to die at home, if that’s their wish.”
She also highlights the importance of integrating social care and care home data. “When we’re called by a paramedic about a patient in a care home, having a shared care plan visible in GNCR could help back up the decision not to hospitalise if that is in line with advance care plan discussions. That’s better for patients, families, and the whole system.”
Dr Plyming’s experience illustrates the profound impact the Great North Care Record is having on palliative and social care. From reducing unnecessary interventions to improving communication and patient experience, GNCR is not just a digital tool – it’s a lifeline to safer, more compassionate care.
Her message is clear: “The more organisations that join, the more powerful this becomes. GNCR saves time, avoids duplication, and ultimately improves outcomes for patients at the most vulnerable points in their lives.”
