Summary Care Record rolled out in Wakefield
Wakefield 2010
It has been two years since the IM&T DES (Information Management and Technology Directed Enhanced Service) finished, and as most PCTs come to the end of their local enhanced services, new questions are starting to arise.
The two most frequent questions at the latest round of PRIMIS+ facilitator forums have been 'what has it all been for' and 'what are we going to do next?'
The answer to these questions for most PCTs is the implementation of Summary Care Records (SCR), which brings with it new challenges.
To upload patient information to the SCR, practices are required to be Paperlight accredited. They must also have a PCT approved work plan showing data quality achievements and information governance standards over a 12 month period.
So how do you begin the mammoth task of convincing your practices to take part, contacting every patient and uploading every record?
The easiest answer might be to follow the success of one of the SCR’s early adopters. SCR Lead and Data Quality Facilitator at NHS Wakefield District, Emma Mullaney, was happy to share how she ensured that implementing the SCR ran smoothly in her PCT.
Speaking at the North Eastern PRIMIS+ Forum in January 2010, Emma explained that she began the process by taking the majority of her practices through Paperlight and Data Accreditation. She then rolled out SCR uploads in waves based on the clinical systems being used.
The first wave saw the 14 SystmOne practices, who had achieved data accreditation standards, contact their patients and upload information on current medications, allergies and adverse reactions.
A further eight practices make up the second wave, which, when completed will see 190,000 records uploaded across Wakefield. The third and fourth waves of the project are also underway meaning that 78% of the town’s population have received an SCR Information Pack.
A team effort
In June 2009 NHS Wakefield agreed to participate in the SCR Accelerated Rollout Programme, with Emma taking on the role of Project Manager.
Support is provided by a Project Board, which is made up of representatives of all those that will be affected by SCR roll out, including: patients, the Local Medical Committee, the Strategic Health Authority, the PCT, GPs and NHS Connecting for Health.
Information Governance, community and secondary care representatives have also been added to this group in recognition of the need to develop the planned usage of the SCR when there is a critical mass of patients.
While having the opportunity to discuss the roll out with the project board, Emma also made use of the PRIMIS+ training on offer when producing the SCR implementation plan. Although formal SCR training has now ended, PRIMIS+ Learning Consultants are available to provide support to all PCT staff implementing the initiative.
After establishing the roll out plan, Emma worked with the communications department at her PCT to ensure everybody affected would be aware of the impact that the SCR was expected to have.
The Public Information Programme that resulted ran from September to December for the first wave practices. This process saw letters sent to all patients and efforts to raise awareness in the local area via the media and information flyers.
The programme ensured all key stakeholders were kept up to date with the roll out, including clinicians, PCT staff, local MPs and councillors as well as the PCT’s partners at Wakefield Council, The Mid Yorkshire Hospital NHS Trust and the Yorkshire Ambulance Service.
Facilitating the roll out
Emma confirmed that a well thought out communications plan was vital in helping to secure wide-spread take up. However, she also felt that her role as a facilitator had also contributed to the high level of take up seen in practices.
Emma said: “Practice engagement was made much easier by having an existing relationship of trust with practices through my role as a Data Quality Facilitator. I was also able to use training sessions to ensure that the practice requirements were understood.
She continued: “The data quality and information governance requirements are essential to the success of the project and practices need to understand the importance of Smartcards, recording of NHS numbers, and Personal Demographics Service synchronisation.
"Within NHS Wakefield District, all practices were supported in re-running the PRIMIS+ IM&T DES query library to ensure practice data was fit for sharing prior to the implementation of the SCR."
However, this and the data accreditation visits that the SCR team carried out highlighted some variation in the quality and reliability of summarised records.
To address this, the PCT introduced the ‘Supporting Quality Information’ Local Enhanced Service to improve the standard of summarisation, recognising that data quality standards for summarising are a crucial requirement for the introduction of the Summary Care Record.
Emma concluded: "The IM&T DES provided a good foundation and now the DES has finished the recently published interim DQ guidance** provides practical guidance. It is particularly useful for PCTs looking at how to ensure practice readiness for the SCR programme."
**www.connectingforhealth.nhs.uk/systemsandservices/scr/staff/impguidpm/dq |
