SystmOne Roll-Out Momentum Increases GP to GP Transfers
By the end of 2008, more than 850 GP practices had gone live on SystmOne, giving SystmOne a 10% share of the GP clinical system market. Recent weeks have seen a record 11 or 12 SystmOne Go Lives each week.
Going Live on SystmOne isn't just beneficial to the organisation using the system, it's also beneficial to others around the country that already use SystmOne.
SystmOne statistics show that for every ten patients who are registered by an organisation on SystmOne, four already have a SystmOne record, which is automatically and instantly made available at the new care setting. Being able to access the record is great news as it saves time registering the patient and means that the patient can be seen straightaway by a clinician who has their complete history in front of them.
"I'm a great believer in a single patient record, and in the Spine," says Su Perkins, practice manager at the 800th practice to go live, The Grange Group in Huddersfield, which went live in November. "It's important for patient care that clinicians have access to the record. If I went on holiday and fell ill, I'd want the GP to be able to access my record, as opposed to relying on a history from myself or my family."
Su continues, "Our move to SystmOne was very good. TPP were helpful; they kept us involved in the process all along. The training and support on Go Live from TPP, the PCT and the SHA was excellent. "
"SystmOne is the preferred system for our Strategic Health Authority and is being rolled out amongst Community organisations in the area. We wanted to benefit from an integrated care package with other members of the care community. I believe that a single patient record is the right way to go, and I think that the move to SystmOne will prove very positive for us and our patients."
More than 7,000 GP to GP transfers occur each month on SystmOne. For these patients, there's no waiting for records to be printed or saved to disk and sent by post. The information is transferred safely and securely in seconds.
In some areas, this figure is even higher. For Kirkby Community Primary Care Centre (KCPCC) in Nottinghamshire County PCT, more than 80% of their patient registrations result in SystmOne GP to GP transfers.
Debbie Partlow, KCPCC Practice Manager says, "Having the patient's record available immediately is incredibly useful - it saves time when registering the patient. It means the summary, repeat prescriptions and journal entries are already there. If the record couldn't be pulled through on SystmOne, in order to continue being paperlight, we would have to wait for the weekly delivery of medical records, then summarise the notes as soon as possible to ensure we've got up-to-date information on the clinical system."
Debbie continues, "Having the SystmOne record available doesn't just benefit the administrative staff, it's also crucial for the clinician in terms of continuity of care, and that then benefits the patient. The information is all available to the clinician on the first consultation. If, for example, an asthmatic patient registered with us, we could see when their last review was, their prescription history and any sensitivities, which the patients don't always know the exact details of. It means there's less room for mis-prescribing."
SystmOne GP to GP transfer is a real benefit to all organisations using the system, and is most visible in areas with dense SystmOne deployments. The majority of patient movements occur locally. So in areas with high SystmOne coverage, they are likely to move from one SystmOne practice to another. Many PCTs have realised the advantages of this and are encouraging practices in their area to take the NPFIT-approved solution.
With the advent of GPSoC, Darzi Centres and Polyclinics, the scope for using integrated records shared through SystmOne will increase, benefiting more clinicians and patients across the country.
