Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital NHS Foundation Trust (LHCH) has digitised and integrated its Clinical Health Psychology service into its trust-wide Electronic Patient Record (EPR), marking a significant step forward in joined-up patient care.
The new system allows psychological care to be recorded alongside medical information, enabling the creation of a more comprehensive and cohesive patient record.
This innovation has already delivered a host of benefits, including streamlined processes, significant time savings, improved communication, better co-ordination of care, and enhanced patient safety.
Dr Alexandra Boughey, Principal Clinical Psychologist for the Cystic Fibrosis Service and Operational Lead, said: “With our patients’ psychological notes now recorded directly in the EPR and integrated with their full medical record, we can establish specific user access for the psychological notes.
The new system allows psychological care to be recorded alongside medical information
“We’re saving an enormous amount of time by inputting notes directly into the system, which are then automatically shared with the multidisciplinary team (MDT). It’s been game-changing. Previously, we were reliant on handwritten notes that had to be typed up, filed, and then either emailed or physically delivered to the wards.”
The Psychology team’s goal was to consolidate its service onto a single digital system capable of maintaining a unified patient record. Central to this was the need for flexibility—particularly the ability to control visibility of sensitive psychological notes in line with patients’ privacy preferences.
To meet this need, the Trust opted to enhance its existing Sunrise EPR system, provided by Altera Digital Health.
Working collaboratively over several months, the Psychology team, Altera, and LHCH’s digital team tailored the system to suit the unique requirements of psychological services.
the system facilitates the collection of data to monitor key performance indicators specific to psychological care
The digitised system now manages a range of functions, including patient questionnaires, referrals, appointments, and discharges, while also streamlining communication with the wider MDT.
Importantly, the system facilitates the collection of data to monitor key performance indicators specific to psychological care—metrics that differ significantly from standard medical KPIs.
The availability of real-time, centralised patient data is offering clinicians a more holistic view of each individual, empowering MDTs to make more informed care decisions at the point of delivery.
With nearly 130,000 patient visits annually and many critically ill patients, LHCH’s Intensive Therapy Unit (ITU) greatly benefits from the digitised system. Enhanced note accessibility, mental health alerts, and better risk management have proven especially valuable in the high-pressure ITU setting.
The digitisation has substantially reduced the risk of lost paper notes and untracked electronic files
Additionally, the digitisation has substantially reduced the risk of lost paper notes and untracked electronic files, further boosting patient safety.
Even prior to this update, LHCH was operating at 99.9% paperless, completing all clinical documentation, prescribing, and order communications via the EPR.
The integration of Psychology into the digital ecosystem strengthens the Trust’s reputation as a digital leader within the NHS.
This commitment to digital excellence has already earned the Trust an ‘Outstanding’ rating from the Care Quality Commission (CQC) on two occasions, as well as HIMSS EMRAM Stage 7 recognition for digital maturity.
Rachael Fox, Executive Vice President for the UK and EMEA at Altera Digital Health, said: “This latest digital transformation is a fantastic milestone in LHCH’s impressive digital journey. The Trust continues to lead the way as a digital-first organisation and is setting a benchmark for delivering outstanding services through innovation.”
Top image: LHCH psychology team