New approach to digital patient records begins

Hospitals across Lancashire and South Cumbria are looking at setting up a new system to allow patient records to be shared effectively regardless of which health service a patient has visited.

The establishment of a single, seamless electronic patient records (EPR) system comes on the back of the introduction of a shared care record, which has already been supporting patients by bringing data together from all our different providers of care.

This innovative approach will not only transform how information is stored and utilised but it will also provide the foundations to improve clinical and care pathways as well as allowing hospitals to work together far more effectively.

There are numerous methods of recording and accessing patient information across hospitals in Lancashire and South Cumbria. The aim is to capture best practice and reduce variation across hospitals to allow staff, patients and their families to dedicate more time to treatment and recovery, by streamlining the process of accessing and utilizing essential patient information.

Kevin McGee OBE, chair of the Lancashire and South Cumbria provider collaborative – a partnership of service providers including hospital trusts, said: “The procurement and implementation of a single EPR system will be a crucial milestone in advancing digital healthcare innovations and delivering integrated patient care throughout Lancashire and South Cumbria. By investing in a single system, we are creating a solid basis that will empower our clinical staff to use digital solutions and technology to offer the highest standard of care to our patients, regardless of their location.”

The EPR is the first of many ambitious steps in the Lancashire and South Cumbria Integrated Care Board’s digital roadmap which promises more investment into technology and the rollout of more digital tools to improve care.

Asim Patel, chief digital officer for NHS Lancashire and South Cumbria Integrated Care Board, said: “Lancashire and South Cumbria’s journey of digital transformation has gone from strength to strength.  Not only do we have one of the country’s most-used shared care record systems but we also have a strong focus on using data in a much more ambitious way to improve integration across our health services.

“Getting to the procurement stage in the EPR program is truly fantastic, and I want to extend my sincere appreciation to all my colleagues for their incredible efforts in getting us to this point. I am filled with anticipation for what the future holds, as we introduce this technology to Lancashire and South Cumbria, and I believe it will significantly enhance our healthcare services and the outcomes for our patients.”

For more information on the EPR programme as well as wider digital transformation in Lancashire and South Cumbria, please visit lancashireandsouthcumbria.icb.nhs.uk/digital