NHS Fife use Siemens to integrate systems

Victoria Hospital, NHS Fife

NHS Fife is extending the scope of its Oasis patient administration system (PAS) from Capula, to include community and mental health services.

Siemens Medical Solutions is overseeing the patient record roll-out as part of its long-term managed service partnership with NHS Fife.

The new integrated approach will ensure that patient records, such as contact details, clinical notes and historical data, are available across the whole health Board rather than duplicated and stored at multiple locations.

Paul Burdett, NHS IT account manager at Siemens Medical Solutions, told E-Health Insider: “This deal reflects the change in trust circumstances in Scotland following the recent healthcare reconfiguration. Originally, the system worked on a trust level, but now it needs to work on a health board level covering all services, as part of Scotland’s commitment to multi-discipline healthcare available to all.”

Siemens say this is the first example of joined up patient records to be rolled out in the UK. The extension will cover three main acute settings, up to eight community hospitals and seven day hospitals.

The aim of the extended system is to improve efficiency of the clinical services provided by NHS Fife and enable secure remote access to patient records by district or community nurses beyond the traditional walls of healthcare institutions.

“The extension of electronic records from the operational division into the community sector will deliver greater process efficiencies and enhance our clinical governance processes,” said Dr Stella Clark, medical director for primary care and executive lead for eHealth at NHS Fife.

Siemens and NHS Fife have worked on a project plan over the last few months and hope all the settings will be integrated together by the end of 2008.

Dr Clark added: “We operate as a single joined up health board so it makes sense that patient records are linked together across the whole organisation, regardless of location. Before, we would have to audit patients moving from the acute sector into rehabilitation or long-term care via disparate systems and paper trails. Now, we will have a single point of reference which will make tracking patient care a much simpler process.”

Siemens says the NHS Fife project demonstrates its flexibility to assist in the delivery of modern eHealth initiatives.

“NHS Fife is the first health organisation to embrace a truly joined up electronic patient record initiative across acute and community sectors,” said Burdett.

He added: “This is an exciting and forward thinking initiative that will deliver administrative, clinical and operational benefits to board management, clinical staff and enable improved patient care.” 

The patient record extension aims to support the NHS Fife strategy of developing a cohesive and coordinated health board.

Links

Siemens Medical Solutions

Capula Healthcare

Joe Fernandez