Customer stories
Sharing patient data between GPs and Hospice in the Weald
Related Content
Hospice in the Weald moved to EMIS Web® in April 2016. The busy hospice was looking for a clinical system to let them share data with other care providers in the locality. They opted for EMIS Web because it is interoperable and user-friendly.
Hospice in the Weald cares for between 740-800 patients at any one time, many of whom are based in the community. Their patients can have complex requirements, so having up to date information that everyone can share is vital. With more than 200 staff and 1,200 volunteers, they needed a clinical system that would easily slot into everyone’s daily working lives. The hospice team includes nurses, consultants, occupational therapists, physiotherapists and complementary therapists. They all now benefit from easy and instant access to details of the care delivered by their colleagues.
Sharing GP data
It’s not just sharing patient care details amongst the large staff team – the hospice has begun two-way record sharing with practices in the local area too.
The biggest benefit for us has been data sharing.
“We’ve set up sharing agreements with nine practices in the local area in the last three months. Access to the care record is available once the individual patient has consented to their data being shared,” explains Peter Ellis, nursing director.
“We have access to the whole GP record, so we can see details of the care they have provided the patient, and likewise they find it really useful to see the data we’ve recorded,” details Emma Allwright, care records manager. Adding new patient details now takes a quarter of the time it did previously: “We’re able to pull through the demographic data from the GP record. It saves time and eliminates any re-keying mistakes."
I can add a new patient in five minutes whereas previously it could take 15-20 minutes.
“We’re making good use of templates too,” explains Emma. “The nurses find it really useful – they have one template to complete and they know they’ve done everything we’ve asked them to do.”
Easy to use
“Everyone who uses it says it’s so simple to use,” said Peter. “That’s what’s impressed us the most. The nurses really like it – they find it intuitive. Everyone has different levels of experience in using technology but most people can get to grips with EMIS Web in just one or two training sessions.”
The technical support offered by Optum (formerly EMIS), and the option to configure certain elements such as templates, means that EMIS Web is able to support all the clinical functions of the Hospice. Future plans include using it to support remote working, to help them with their ambition for nurses to become paper-light when working in the community.