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Data-driven care : Enhancing outcomes in primary care
By Ben Hampshire
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In recent years, NHS organisations have faced a surge in demand and reduced capacity. Primary care teams, who serve as the gateway to multiple healthcare services, are navigating pressures daily. But how can a GP practice adjust and improve without clear insight? How do they identify the bottlenecks or gaps in patient care? How do they allocate adequate resources based on their population’s needs?
We spoke with Ben Hampshire, Business Development Director at EMIS, to find out more about the value of healthcare data and the tools that can help primary care organisations gain data insights to drive care forward. He explained how data analytical tools empower GP practices, Primary Care Networks (PCNs), and Integrated Care Systems (ICS) to make more informed decisions that improve the patient experience and roll out more effective ways of working:
Why is unlocking primary care data so important?
Data lies at the heart of all primary care systems, but it’s the analytical data tools that unlock real-world evidence and demonstrate the health narrative of patients served. Once translated into visual dashboards, an easy to digest format, they help healthcare teams understand where the pressure points are. Pressures around demand and capacity, workforce, and escalating health needs are easily highlighted. This insight helps healthcare teams act quickly and reshape services where it’s needed the most.
Unlocking data in primary care presents many opportunities for improvement, that in turn have a ripple effect on how the rest of the system operates. With this level of data insight, organisations can act on care delivery, build an effective workforce, and implement strategic proactive and preventative care. We’ve made it easy for practices to make actionable changes that contribute to patient-centric and an integrated NHS.
How can data help enable proactive and preventative care?
At EMIS, we understand that proactive and preventative care alleviates pressures on primary care teams by reducing demand and capacity. We’re helping healthcare teams today, do exactly that with Pathway. Integrated into EMIS Web, Pathway harnesses data so healthcare teams can transform healthcare delivery from reactive to preventative. For example, our work with the Hepatitis C Elimination Programme has demonstrated the role primary care plays in eradicating the virus. Pathway easily identifies cohorts of at-risk patients who otherwise remain undetected within primary care, by searching data for coded risk factors in patient GP records. Once identified, teams were able to contact, review, test, and treat patients. Pathway is improving patient outcomes for Hepatitis C patients but also patients with other complex conditions such as cardiovascular disease or diabetes. Early intervention prevents conditions from advancing and subsequently avoids the need for costly invasive treatment later.
How can data analytical tools be scaled to system level?
Used by over 10,000 healthcare organisations, our technology is relied upon by primary and community care teams, community pharmacies, and acute services, as well as connecting patients to their local health services. Our clinical technology integrates at all levels of an ICS and our analytical tools are scalable from the ground up regardless of system or setting. We’re supporting ICSs with data-driven, actionable data insights that go beyond the point of care.
Frimley Health and Care ICS, who serve 800,000 patients, are using our business intelligence tool, Explorer, to identify patient behaviours through local shared care record data. This is helping to improve access and reduce barriers to care. Kent and Medway ICB used the Apex analytics toolkit at scale to proactively track the winter Strep A outbreak. Data from across 185 GP practices, helped build an evidence-based picture of what was happening on the front line. They were able to understand service pressures, inform planning, and then act. Some areas used the data to quickly establish respiratory hubs, moving the demand away from GP practices.
What other data-driven tools for primary care can enhance healthcare?
Recruit is a free tool embedded in EMIS Web that enables primary care to support recruitment for clinical trials. It uses complex searches against electronic health records (EHR) data to identify patients who may meet eligibility criteria for clinical trials. In just a few clicks practices can access, review, and generate lists to invite patients to register their interest via text or email. This tool can also generate revenue for your practice, with automatic payments for all eligible patients who consent to share their contact details with the research organisation.
Disclaimer
This article was prepared by Ben Hampshire in a personal capacity. The views, thoughts and opinions expressed by the author of this piece belong to the author and do not purport to represent the views, thoughts and opinions of Optum. Any general health information contained in this article is for information purposes only and is not a substitute for your doctor’s care.
About the author
Ben Hampshire
Regional director
Ben serves customers across the NHS North East & Yorkshire and North West Regions, supporting NHS organisations in maximising the benefit of Optum solutions. Passionate about system-to-person transformation, Ben works in partnership with NHS colleagues to identify key challenges and explore how Optum can play a role in addressing such needs.