GP practices in South Lakes are using EMIS Web to securely share patient information with a range of community health teams after seeking patient permission.

Fourteen out of 22 GP practices in the area – serving 75,000 patients – are now streaming patient information via EMIS Web, facilitating use by colleagues working in other areas of healthcare. More GP practices are expected to join the scheme, bringing the total patient coverage to 110,000.

The move has allowed patients, many of whom live in remote villages, to receive specialist care in a familiar community setting, rather than having to travel long distances to the large acute hospitals in the area.

Out of hours GPs

Out of hours GPs can view essential patient information during consultations such as medication, allergies and previous problems. EMIS Web works seamlessly with Adastra – the leading out of hours software system. This has reduced the margin for error and saved valuable consultation time.

District nurses

Nurses working in the community will soon be able to access patient data on the move, using laptops and internet enabled mobile phones. This will support consultations and prevent the need for nurses to travel back and forth to the surgery to update records. Use of Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) will ensure data security.

Dayna Hadwen, a community nurse based at Sedbergh Health Centre said: “I can now make the right care decisions more promptly and spend less time travelling back to the surgery to update records. It means I’m spending more time with patients, which is a massive plus.”

Primary care assessment service

This GP led team provides a range of treatments and tests in a community setting, to prevent unnecessary hospital admissions. The team can now view and update key patient data, thanks to seamless integration between EMIS Web and Adastra.

Respiratory team

The team cares for patients with respiratory ailments in a community setting. The team has been impressed with the ease of use of EMIS Web and its time saving features, as well as access to elements of the patient record during consultations.

Clare Rice, Operational Service Manager for the team, said: “It’s no exaggeration to say that this service can be a life-saver.

“Many of the patients we are dealing with have complex medical histories, and the ability to see the core patient record at the point of care, plus consultation notes from other community teams, can significantly reduce the margin for clinical error.

“It’s also a far more efficient way of working. In the old days, we would spend hours on the phone chasing patient information from GPs prior to home appointments, and then huge swathes of time typing up paper notes back in the office. We’re now saving at least two hours of administration time each day – and that’s a conservative estimate.”

Other teams soon to benefit from EMIS Web data streaming include physiotherapy, the short term intervention team – which comprises health and social workers – and Macmillan nurses.

James Blacklock, Programme Implementation Manager said: “By having information available at the point of care, we are providing a far more convenient service for patients and saving administrative and travel time for our staff.

“One of the great things about EMIS Web is that it is so flexible. You can choose to share some types of patient data and not others, depending on the individual needs of each healthcare team.

“The response from clinicians has been extremely positive. They’ve been able to see immediate benefits. We’re now focusing on bringing the rest of our services on stream, so that we have information sharing right across the board. It’s an exciting time.”

Dr William Lumb from Sedbergh Health Centre was one of the first GPs in the area to trial the system, prior to roll out. He said: “By giving practitioners the ability to share data, with patient consent, along with the ability to capture and access of data on the move, patient care can become safer and more efficient.”

Further information

For more information about upgrading from an existing EMIS system, please contact us on 0845 123 4455 or email .

For information on moving to EMIS from another clinical system, please contact us on 0845 125 5536 or email .

 Sharing patient records with community health teams has been a big step forward for patient care and NHS efficiency

James Blacklock, Programme Implementation Manager, South Lakes Locality, NHS Cumbria