Staffordshire hospitals invest to hit April’s 24 hour target for discharge communications

The NHS in North Staffordshire is going digital to deliver hospital patient discharge updates even faster to GPs. Medisec Software, clinical correspondence specialists, has developed a new system that allows GPs to get critical clinical information from the hospital overnight.

University Hospital of North Staffordshire is using an electronic template to gather comprehensive clinical information during a patient’s hospital stay. The discharge notes are then sent electronically to GP practices across Stoke-on-Trent and North Staffordshire PCTs. A clear audit trail from letter generation to delivery will show exactly how long it is taking to deliver discharge updates to GPs.

Tom Rothwell, Managing Director of Medisec Software, explains: “The software means that GPs get critical clinical information from the hospital overnight. With the right patient discharge information at the right time, it means that they can look after the needs of patients much better. Surgery staff can transfer the information into their practice systems without any scanning or dual keying, saving valuable time.”

Rebecca Gallimore, deputy head of ICT at University Hospital, added: “The new system will really help us to communicate with GPs and can only improve patient care. Medisec Software worked closely with our clinicians to make sure it is the patients that feel the benefits.”

University Hospital of North Staffordshire can now compare how long it is taking individual consultants to generate and issue clinical correspondence. This new system will improve communications with GP practices and deliver better patient care.

The comprehensive discharge data set uses the Royal College of Physicians standard for quality and includes all the relevant clinical details from discharge medication and test results, to allergies, BMI, physical ability and cognitive function – giving GPs all the information they need to be able to continue patient care.