IT news: News round-up

NI agency goes live with recruitment system

Before, it required us to pour over countless spreadsheets and analyse the information manually, but these reports can now be produced at the click of a button

THE Northern Ireland Medical & Dental Training Agency has gone live with Intrepid Pathway from IT solutions specialist, Hicom. Intrepid Pathway is the new enhanced version of the fully-hosted online recruitment and applicant tracking system I:CAMS and works to support national and local recruitment. Margot Roberts, administrative director at NIMDTA, said: “Over the last couple of years we have seen more and more deaneries in the UK moving onto the Intrepid platform to manage training, education and career progression. We currently use Intrepid and it is serving us well, but like most deaneries, we still had issues with vacant posts, which gave us a strong case to approach the health and social care board for the provision of additional funding for Intrepid Pathway.” Intrepid Pathway is based on the same platform as Hicom’s former I:CAMS solution, but has been specifically developed to include a range of additional features and functionality to meet deaneries’ new requirements. Roberts said: “Intrepid will be very useful when the deanery is required to produce reports. Before, it required us to pour over countless spreadsheets and analyse the information manually, but these reports can now be produced at the click of a button.”

Care UK deploys IMS MAXIMS

INDEPENDENT healthcare provider, Care UK, has selected IMS MAXIMS for roll-out at its three specialist diagnostic centres. Commissioned by the NHS to effectively meet the challenge of increasing access to healthcare, the centres offer a range of diagnostic imaging procedures including X-ray, ultrasound, echocardiograms (ECG) and MRI. The IMS MAXIMS browser-based patient management software solution will allow patient data to be handled as efficiently as possible, while the Choose & Book patient management module enables staff to electronically manage the patient journey, incorporating appointment scheduling, correspondence and performance monitoring systems. Following the rollout of the solution at the Rotherham Community Health Centre, additional sites at Havant and High Wycombe have now also gone live.

Review of Summary Care Record reaches conclusion

As the NHS modernises, the SCR’s value will grow because it ensures that clinicians from urgent and emergency care providers will have crucial medical information at their fingertips

MAILINGS have resumed to thousands of patients in England about the introduction of the Summary Care Record (SCR) following last year’s review of the programme. The new packs contain a simplified letter and an opt-out form with a pre-paid envelope to make it easier for patients to exercise choice as recommended by the review, which agreed that an SCR containing core patient information including medications, allergies and adverse reactions would prove valuable for those needing emergency or urgent care. Additional information will only be added to the record with the patient’s explicit consent, giving them greater control over their healthcare. Health Minister, Simon Burns, said: “Having achieved a consensus about the SCR’s potential to improve patient safety, it is important that we press on and ensure its introduction. The letter going out to patients is clear about the choices you have and by including an opt-out form, we are emphasising our commitment to making it easy for patients to exercise that choice. As the NHS modernises, the SCR’s value will grow because it ensures that clinicians from urgent and emergency care providers will have crucial medical information at their fingertips.”

Clinical portal solution for Liverpool trust

The use of portals is the way forward to help increase efficiency, improve treatment and diagnosis

THE Royal Liverpool and Broadgreen University Hospitals NHS Trust has signed a contract to deploy CSC’s clinical portal solution across its two hospital sites. The portal will allow vital patient information, stored on a variety of systems, to be available in a single view and in real time. The contract follows a successful proof of concept (PoC) evaluation, delivered by CSC, which demonstrated that the solution could reduce the length of clinic times, improve patient services, improve safety, and achieve savings in NHS staff time and resources. Professor Patrick Chu, consultant haematologist, said: “The portal will allow clinicians to call up patient information whenever and wherever it’s required in order to provide safe, top-quality care. The PoC was a tremendous success and showed just how much this solution can benefit patients and staff. The use of portals is the way forward to help increase efficiency, improve treatment and diagnosis. It will make the paperless clinic a reality, which is long overdue. I support the wider adoption of this technology so that healthcare professionals are free to concentrate on the care of their patients.”

Prison healthcare IT system launched

HEALTHCARE staff in jails will be better placed to tackle the challenging health needs of prisoners as a result of a national prison healthcare IT system now installed in all institutions across England. All clinicians now have ready access to up-to-date medical information through TPP’s SystmOne Prison. Paul Burstow, Care Services Minister, said: “This provides a firm foundation to take offender health forward in a digital age. The ability to access prisoners’ medical records when they are needed, from the first moment that they are received into a prison, is crucial to the delivery of effective healthcare.” Louis Appleby, national clinical director for health in criminal justice, added: “For healthcare staff working in this demanding field, using the same kind of technology that’s already established in general practice is crucial to improving their ability to provide safe and effective care.”

For healthcare staff working in this demanding field, using the same kind of technology that’s already established in general practice is crucial to improving their ability to provide safe and effective care

ALSO IN THE NEWS: Laboratory informatic software supplier, LabVantage, has acquired Software Point, its long-time partner in northern Europe… Siemens Healthcare has announced the availability of syngo.share, a unified, patient-centric clinical image sharing system… IT supplier, Pathway Software, has signed an agreement with Destiny Wireless that will see Pathway offering Destiny’s digital pen technology to clinicians alongside Therapy Manager, its patient information system… Airwave has acquired Kelvin Connect, developer of mobile data information systems, as part of its ongoing investment in critical communications for the emergency services…