My Care Record now live across Princess Alexandra Hospital
People in west Essex and east and north Hertfordshire are now benefiting from more efficient, joined-up care.
My Care Record allows clinicians at The Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust in Harlow to view a patient’s medical history over a secure network. Initially the system was piloted in A&E but has now been rolled-out across the whole hospital.
My Care Record delivers a more productive service, ensuring that there is more clinical time spent on patients, fewer tests, more accurate prescriptions and safe and secure decision-making. It provides health and care professionals access to view information and patients are asked for their permission before any records are viewed.
Deborah Fielding, Chief Executive of NHS West Essex Clinical Commissioning Group said: “This is a huge step forward in delivering a better quality of care for our patients. Gaining access to a patient’s GP record is the first step in providing truly integrated care and has laid the foundations for the way we deliver services in the future. Interoperability is one of the priorities of the Sustainability and Transformation Plans and we are really proud to be driving this forward. ”
Dr Andy Morris, Chief Medical Officer at the Princess Alexandra Hospital said: “Having My Care Record is a huge benefit to clinicians in the hospital as it will help reduce the time taken to diagnose and treat our patients. We are always looking at new ways to lighten the pressure placed on our staff and this is an excellent example of how we can work together across the health system to achieve these goals while providing better care for our patients”
Dr Nicky Williams, a Hertfordshire GP and deputy clinical Chair of East and North Hertfordshire Clinical Commissioning Group said: “By securely accessing up-to-date information about patients during consultations, hospital clinicians can make well-informed decisions, avoiding delays and unnecessary, expensive and invasive tests. My Care Record should also save valuable time for GP practice staff who currently have to deal with individual calls, emails and faxed requests for information from our hospital-based colleagues.”
Plans are ongoing to widen My Care Record to include other hospitals in the next few months. A dedicated website with information and frequently asked questions, has been created for people to find out more.
*To find out more about plans to create a healthier future for Hertfordshire and west Essex and to give your views, visit the Healthier Future website.