HealthShare at the heart of healthcare in Torbay and South Devon

Following a successful pilot programme to deliver more integrated care to heart failure patients, Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust is rolling out the InterSystems HealthShare health informatics platform across the area’s health and social care community.

The implementation will put HealthShare at the heart of Torbay and South Devon’s pioneering integrated care model, helping to break down barriers between health and social care and improving outcomes for patients.

As one of NHS England’s integrated care pioneers, Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust received funding and support through the Safer Hospitals, Safer Wards Technology Fund to introduce HealthShare.

Over the coming year, HealthShare will be provided to over 3,000 clinicians, helping the integrated care pioneer deliver informed, joined-up care for the resident population of 375,000 and for the millions of visitors to the area every year.

Torbay and South Devon is using HealthShare to build comprehensive digital health records for every patient. The shared virtual record follows them through their healthcare journey, regardless of the location or service. Integrating information across acute, community, social care and GP services, HealthShare is already helping clinicians and local leaders in Torbay and South Devon achieve their vision for connected care.

As part of a pilot programme, the heart failure team at Torbay Hospital used HealthShare to help improve the way they work by streamlining information sharing and helping them care for some of the most-vulnerable patients.

Joanne Passmore, a heart failure specialist nurse at Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust, said: “It’s essential for us to know if one of our heart failure patients comes to hospital. Clinical procedures and changes to prescribed medications can all have an effect on the patient’s current condition and future outcomes.

“HealthShare alerts us if any of our heart failure patients are admitted to hospital, allowing us to speak with them and their wider care team. We can also review medications and recovery plans. On discharge, this information is shared across our acute and community teams. As a result, patients receive continuous, informed and high-quality care by everyone they come into contact with.”

Involving clinicians in the development, testing and refinement of the system is a key part of the work in Torbay and South Devon, as Gary Hotine, director of the health informatics service at the trust, explained: “HealthShare enables us to get every part of the IT ecosystem hooked in, but, most important, it is powered by a shared clinical vision.”

He added: “After the success of the pilot project, the next stage is a rollout to the area’s health and wellbeing teams. We are confident that the work we have done so far in partnership with InterSystems puts us in a strong position to deliver on the promises we have made to NHS England, and the responsibilities we have to our patients.”

Mark Palmer, country manager for the UK at InterSystems, said: “The sharing of information is vital for healthcare teams to deliver informed care in any setting.

“HealthShare makes information sharing simple, quick and effective. In Torbay and South Devon, HealthShare is playing an increasingly important role in bringing together the health and social care community. We are proud that our system is a key part of Torbay and South Devon’s integrated vision that will deliver for patients now and in the future.”