Digital boost for prison health services in Doncaster and Bassetlaw

Published: 24-Sep-2012

System helps reduce time taken to provide clinical correspondence to GP practices


GPs at Ranby Prison in Nottinghamshire are set to receive swifter clinical information about inmates treated at Doncaster and Bassetlaw hospitals following the introduction of an advanced electronic delivery system.

The prison’s healthcare centre will now receive hospital correspondence and discharge summaries directly into an electronic inbox, ready for processing each morning.

The advancement follows the introduction of MedisecTRUST Digital Dictation software by Doncaster and Bassetlaw Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, enabling critical clinical information to be downloaded directly into the prison’s computer system without the need for dual keying or the scanning of correspondence.

“By streamlining this process, we will save a great deal of time while reducing the risk of any possible administrative errors occurring,” said Louise Scott, office manager of healthcare at the prison.

“The feed into our clinical SystmOne computer system from Medisec should eliminate the need for us to chase up hospital letters while the doctors will now be able access all correspondence at the touch of button.”

Since introducing the system, Doncaster and Bassetlaw Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has successfully halved the average time it takes to provide clinical correspondence to GP practices.

“Clinical correspondence and discharge summaries from Doncaster and Bassetlaw hospitals are now being created, reviewed, signed off and delivered to every single GP practice in Bassetlaw in a paperless end-to-end process,” added Susan Kyle, NHS Bassetlaw’s data quality facilitator.

“Our decision to end, from this month, all paper correspondence from Bassetlaw Hospital to these practices – and now Ranby Prison – is a significant step to improving operational efficiencies and has been endorsed by both the Clinical Governance Forum and the Patient Safety Group.”

MedisecTRUST Digital Dictation, from Medisec Software, automatically matches digitally-dictated clinical notes with PAS patient details to produce clinic attendance letters.

Customised workflows of outstanding dictations can also be created by consultants, with transcriptions automatically appearing in relevant medical secretary workflows.

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