Kent and Medway mobilise integrated health and social care record
Shared data will improve the quality and safety of care for patients
A new health and social care shared record system is being launched in Kent and Medway.
Commissioned by a collaborative comprising the NHS Kent and Medway CCG, Kent County Council, and Medway Council; the Kent and Medway Care Record (KMCR) will bring together a single view of each patient’s records from multiple source systems to help health and social care providers make better decisions for the citizens in their care.
As well as helping us improve the quality and safety of care for patients, it will underpin our drive to integrate citizen’s records across health and social care
It will contain automated, regular data feeds from four acute hospital trusts, three community services providers, two community-based mental health services providers, 225 main GP practices and 85 branch sites, and around 466 social care teams based in local authorities.
The KMCR is designed to improve outcomes and experiences for the citizens of Kent and offer considerable efficiencies and time-saving benefits to health and social care professionals across the county.
Benefits will include:
- Patients will no longer need to keep repeating their medical and social care history when seen by different services
- Patients will be able to access their own data, helping them feel more involved and engaged in their own care
- The KMCR will enable clinicians and social carers to see what care citizens are receiving from other services such as medication prescribed, alerts or allergies, hospital test results and if the patient has a social care package. This more-detailed and timely information will allow faster clinical decisions to be made, improve communications between referrers and service providers and improve continuity of care
The KMCR does not give full access to patient records to all services, but is designed to share key information, including demographics, next of kin/carer details, medications, allergies, safeguarding alerts, pathology results, a chronological list of contact with health and social care professionals including A&E attendances, key social care data, mental health summaries, referrals to other organisations, carer and care provider details, the current location of the patient, advance directives, and care plans.
It is also contributing to Kent and Medway’s COVID-19 response and recovery, with a dedicated dashboard developed to co-ordinate recovery and response planning across the county.
The COVID dashboard provides greater intelligence and information about the virus, such as hotspots, and includes information about when a patient has been tested or diagnosed with COVID to ensure continuity of care across different care settings.
Dr Navin Kumta, clinical chairman of Kent and Medway CCG, said: “We are looking to this shared record to deliver a significant transformational change in Kent and Medway.
We are looking to this shared record to deliver a significant transformational change in Kent and Medway
“As well as helping us improve the quality and safety of care for patients, it will underpin our drive to integrate citizen’s records across health and social care.”
The solution is provided by Graphnet Health as part of a project led by Cantium Business Solutions.
Brian Waters, chief executive of Graphnet, said: “Kent and Medway are using a shared record as it is intended – as a driver for transformation.
“We are very much looking forward to working in partnership with them, helping ensure that care is efficiently and effectively co-ordinated, and that clinical decisions are well informed.”