Author: Lauren Turner

Opinion piece: If we want to improve access to primary care, we need to free-up GP time

Posted on by Lauren Turner

The NHS has a four-point plan to recover access to primary care, and a key focus is on increasing capacity. Tim Foster, UK director of operations at healthcare technology group Clanwilliam, home of speech recognition experts Dictate IT, argues that technology can help – as long as it’s used effectively and consistently by every member of ‘Team GP’, wherever they are based.

Improving access to primary care is a key priority for the NHS in England. Politicians, commissioners, surgeries and patients all want it to be easier for people to get the appointments, referrals and the advice they need.

A Delivery Plan for Recovering Access to Primary Care was published just over 15-months ago to “tackle the 8am rush for GP appointments” and make it easier for patients to get help, faster.

The plan was built around four pillars: empowering patients; modernising access; building capacity; and cutting bureaucracy.

Whether this plan is making a difference is yet to be seen, but there are things that practices can be doing in the meantime to help.

Utilising technology properly is the key

The critical point, for me, is that GPs have very little time. So, that fourth pillar is important because a lot of the bureaucracy lies in the admin.

We need to think about making it easier for GPs to generate notes, prescriptions, letters and other documents so they have more time to focus on patients.

Technology can make a big difference.

We know that most people speak three times faster than they type, so using speech recognition, alongside established IT systems, can make it quicker and easier to capture narrative and notes, saving crucial minutes for GPs and other time-stretched practice staff.

GPs can use speech recognition to create letters for administrative staff to format for review and sign-off, or to “dictate to cursor” into GP record systems such as EMIS Web and SystmOne.

But there are other uses for speech recognition technology, such as voice navigation and ambient listening.

If you think about the time that GP’s spend navigating electronic record systems – working through menus, opening screens, and launching forms.

Plus, the time they spend on admin after the patient has left the room, the time saving opportunities through various speech recognition applications are significant.

Supporting Team GP

Reducing the huge time burden and providing better, more effective technology for GPs to work with can make people more satisfied with their jobs, helping to address the low morale that has contributed to a huge number of GPs quitting.

Retaining more GPs will help to support the third pillar of the access plan: increasing capacity.

A lot of the current effort on capacity building is sensibly going on recruiting more members to “Team GP”, such as pharmacists or physiotherapists, to be able to deliver a wide range of services that patients might not need to see an actual GP for.

In technology terms, one of the challenges here is making sure that IT systems are available to all the professionals that need them, in order for them to have the crucial patient information they need to deliver this wider care.

At the moment, access to many of the systems used in surgeries and primary care centres tend to be for GPs. We need to widen that access.

We also need to think about training.

Staff may not have the time to attend traditional, face to face training. Solutions should be intuitive, and any training required should be quick and easily digestible.

Primary care has been an IT leader in healthcare, but it needs to go further, and that means digitising training and support as well as introducing new digital systems.

 

Working at scale

We need to encourage surgeries to work together across GP federations and primary care networks.

That way, practices can benefit from efficiencies of scale, provide a more consistent service to a wider population, and share resources.

Technology is essential to give patients a good experience of accessing this wider team and making sure that professionals can access critical information about them, at the right time.

Most federations and PCNs have recognised this and encouraged their members to adopt the same clinical systems.

However, they might not have all adopted them in the same way. For example, some will be using speech recognition for letters or data entry, but some won’t.

Some will have integrated online triage or patient messaging systems, and some won’t.

So, the tech challenge is to drive for the standardisation of certain systems, so there is a consistent look and feel for everybody.

Otherwise, GPs and other members of Team GP can move from one site to another and find the process for doing something like ordering a repeat prescription or sending a patient an SMS is completely different.

That causes frustration and wastes time.

Digital transformation, standardised

Technology is also key to modernising access for patients, who can increasingly contact primary care through digital telephony, practice websites, and apps including the NHS App.

And it’s key to empowering patients, who need to have confidence that if the care navigation team refers them to a pharmacist or a physio rather than a GP, that is the right decision for them.

It’s possible to imagine a future in which speech recognition has a role in making it easier for patients to navigate these new ways to access primary care.

For example, as interest in the opportunities of generative AI continues to grow in primary care, we are looking at bringing this technology into our existing applications to solve common clinical pain points, the most common being capturing clinical information after patient-doctor discussions.

Ambient listening and generative AI – taking recorded discussions and fully forming clinical documentation that can be summarised and saved to the patient record – elevates the speech workflow and resonates with many healthcare practitioners.

As these ideas come on stream, though, I think the key challenges for technology in primary care are threefold.

We need to make sure that GPs have access to digital technology that can reduce the time they spend working with IT systems; that all members of Team GP have access to the same technology; and that there is standard infrastructure across federations and PCNs.

Asks for the new government – and digital leaders

That’s going to take action at a number of levels.

We have a new government discussing moving funding from the acute sector to community care, pharmacy and primary care but we also need to make sure some of this is spent on investment in digital.

We also need NHS England and its equivalent bodies in the devolved administrations to return to the problem of interoperability and to getting the major electronic patient record providers to open-up their systems.

That would provide an incentive for suppliers to move into primary care, drive competition and ultimately produce better systems.

It would also make it easier for GPs to adopt their solutions, because even simple things, like being able to open systems from within the GP record, or integration with the clinical system, can help streamline processes, save user time, and also improve clinician adoption.

Cracking the long-standing interoperability challenge would have the further benefit of making it much easier for data to flow between acute and primary care, and between the healthcare system and the many commissioners, services, researchers and patients who need it.

Of course, GP practices need to be open to new ideas. A good tip is to start small: find one thing that a solution, like speech recognition, can really help with, and then move on to other areas.

Suppliers have a role to play, by making sure their systems are as intuitive as possible and addressing the training challenge.

The big opportunity: more time

If we can get all of this right, there is a real opportunity to tackle some of the challenges, by using technology to free up GP time to do what they want to do, which is focus on patients, and giving them the advice, treatment and referrals that they need.

Dictate IT, part of Clanwilliam, will be exhibiting at this year’s Best Practice conference at the NEC Birmingham from 9-10 October, where the theme will be access, and the agenda will be exploring: how to retain more GPs by addressing burnout and low morale, new roles, working at scale, and digital transformation.

Dictate IT will also be attending this year’s Royal College of General Practitioners annual conference and exhibition at ACC Liverpool from 3-4 October.  

If we want to improve access to primary care, we need to free-up GP time

Posted on by Lauren Turner

The NHS has a four-point plan to recover access to primary care, and a key focus is on increasing capacity. Tim Foster, UK director of operations at healthcare technology group Clanwilliam, home of speech recognition experts Dictate IT, argues that technology can help – as long as it’s used effectively and consistently by every member of ‘Team GP’, wherever they are based.

Improving access to primary care is a key priority for the NHS in England. Politicians, commissioners, surgeries and patients all want it to be easier for people to get the appointments, referrals and the advice they need.

A Delivery Plan for Recovering Access to Primary Care was published just over 15-months ago to “tackle the 8am rush for GP appointments” and make it easier for patients to get help, faster. The plan was built around four pillars: empowering patients; modernising access; building capacity; and cutting bureaucracy. Whether this plan is making a difference is yet to be seen, but there are things that practices can be doing in the meantime to help.

Utilising technology properly is the key

The critical point, for me, is that GPs have very little time. So, that fourth pillar is important because a lot of the bureaucracy lies in the admin. We need to think about making it easier for GPs to generate notes, prescriptions, letters and other documents so they have more time to focus on patients.

Technology can make a big difference. We know that most people speak three times faster than they type, so using speech recognition, alongside established IT systems, can make it quicker and easier to capture narrative and notes, saving crucial minutes for GPs and other time-stretched practice staff.

GPs can use speech recognition to create letters for administrative staff to format for review and sign-off, or to “dictate to cursor” into GP record systems such as EMIS Web and SystmOne. But there are other uses for speech recognition technology, such as voice navigation and ambient listening.

If you think about the time that GP’s spend navigating electronic record systems – working through menus, opening screens, and launching forms., plus the time they spend on admin after the patient has left the room, the time saving opportunities through various speech recognition applications are significant.

Supporting Team GP

Reducing the huge time burden and providing better, more effective technology for GPs to work with can make people more satisfied with their jobs, helping to address the low morale that has contributed to a huge number of GPs quitting.

Retaining more GPs will help to support the third pillar of the access plan: increasing capacity. A lot of the current effort on capacity building is sensibly going on recruiting more members to “Team GP”, such as pharmacists or physiotherapists, to be able to deliver a wide range of services that patients might not need to see an actual GP for.

In technology terms, one of the challenges here is making sure that IT systems are available to all the professionals that need them, in order for them to have the crucial patient information they need to deliver this wider care. At the moment, access to many of the systems used in surgeries and primary care centres tend to be for GPs. We need to widen that access. We also need to think about training. Staff may not have the time to attend traditional, face to face training. Solutions should be intuitive, and any training required should be quick and easily digestible. Primary care has been an IT leader in healthcare, but it needs to go further, and that means digitising training and support as well as introducing new digital systems.

Working at scale

We need to encourage surgeries to work together across GP federations and primary care networks. That way, practices can benefit from efficiencies of scale, provide a more consistent service to a wider population, and share resources.

Technology is essential to give patients a good experience of accessing this wider team and making sure that professionals can access critical information about them, at the right time. Most federations and PCNs have recognised this and encouraged their members to adopt the same clinical systems.

However, they might not have all adopted them in the same way. For example, some will be using speech recognition for letters or data entry, but some won’t. Some will have integrated online triage or patient messaging systems, and some won’t. So, the tech challenge is to drive for the standardisation of certain systems, so there is a consistent look and feel for everybody.

Otherwise, GPs and other members of Team GP can move from one site to another and find the process for doing something like ordering a repeat prescription or sending a patient an SMS is completely different. That causes frustration and wastes time.

Digital transformation, standardised

Technology is also key to modernising access for patients, who can increasingly contact primary care through digital telephony, practice websites, and apps including the NHS App. And its key to empowering patients, who need to have confidence that if the care navigation team refers them to a pharmacist or a physio rather than a GP, that is the right decision for them.

It’s possible to imagine a future in which speech recognition has a role in making it easier for patients to navigate these new ways to access primary care.

As interest in the opportunities of generative AI continues to grow in primary care, we are also looking at bringing the technology into our existing applications to solve common clinical pain points, the most common being capturing clinical information after patient-doctor discussions. Ambient listening and generative AI – taking recorded discussions and fully forming clinical documentation that can be summarised and saved to the patient record – elevates the speech workflow and resonates with many healthcare practitioners.

For the moment, though, I think the key challenges are threefold.

We need to make sure that GPs have access to digital technology that can reduce the time they spend working with IT systems; that all members of Team GP have access to the same technology; and that there is standard infrastructure across federations and PCNs.

Asks for the new government – and digital leaders

That’s going to take action at a number of levels. We have a new government discussing moving funding from the acute sector to community care, pharmacy, and primary care but we also need to make sure some of this is spent on investment in digital.

We also need NHS England and its equivalent bodies in the devolved administrations to return to the problem of interoperability and to getting the major electronic patient record providers to open-up their systems. That would provide an incentive for suppliers to move into primary care, drive competition and ultimately produce better systems.

It would also make it easier for GPs to adopt their solutions, because even simple things, like being able to open systems from within the GP record, or integration with the clinical system, can help streamline processes, save user time, and also improve clinician adoption.

Cracking the long-standing interoperability challenge would have the further benefit of making it much easier for data to flow between acute and primary care, and between the healthcare system and the many commissioners, services, researchers and patients who need it.

Of course, GP practices need to be open to new ideas. A good tip is to start small: find one thing that a solution, like speech recognition, can really help with, and then move on to other areas. Suppliers have a role to play, by making sure their systems are as intuitive as possible and addressing the training challenge.

The big opportunity: more time

If we can get all of this right, there is a real opportunity to tackle some of the challenges, by using technology to free up GP time to do what they want to do, which is focus on patients, and giving them the advice, treatment and referrals that they need.

Clanwilliam brings successful care home technology Epic Care to the UK

Posted on by Lauren Turner

Care homes looking to digitise their administration and care procedures have a new option with the launch of Epic Care in the UK.

Epic Care is a modular, scalable system developed by Clanwilliam that has a track record of simplifying the delivery of complex care at both residential and nursing homes across the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland.

The company is bringing the system to the UK as the Darzi Review calls for a “tilt towards technology” to improve productivity and outcomes in health and social care.

Epic Care offers care homes that need to move away from paper or first-generation systems a cloud-based alternative that can be used to record daily operations from anywhere with an internet connection, while making the most of touch-screen technology.

Shane Williamson, business development manager for Epic Care, said: “The new government is committed to putting the NHS at the forefront of the technological revolution that has reshaped so many aspects of our lives, and we want to make sure that care homes are in the vanguard of that change.

“Epic Care is a modern system designed to save administrators time, to make it easy for nurses and care assistants to follow and document best practice, and to improve communication across the system.

“Because it is cloud-based, we can wrap set-up, support, updates and upgrades into our pricing to reduce the total cost of ownership.

“It all frees up time and resources to enable care homes to focus on what they do best – which is care for their residents.”

Epic Care is built around an ‘admin and care’ module, with the core capabilities required to run a care home.

It records information about residents, logs their nursing care, supports risk management, and generates reports for regulatory compliance.

A touchCare module enables care staff to record daily resident activity at the touch of a button, using devices that can be placed where they are needed, in rooms and at the bedside.

Further modules include: EpicQ, which holds policies and documents staff compliance with them, an eLearning Hub of training videos, and Medications, which simplifies the task of ordering, reporting and reviewing medications.

Christine Thompson is regional manager of Macklin Care Homes, which runs six homes with nine sites and 412 residents in Northern Ireland.

She has been supporting the development of Epic Care for almost two decades, and says the system is: “All about saving time and effort, while improving visibility.”

“Epic Care handles administration and documents care, but for me, it is all about governance,” she says.

“Every touch point of care is recorded, so I can go online and look at our dashboards to see what is happening.

“For example, each of our residents can have ten to 12 care plans, and regulators would often say they were not up to date.

“But now I can see on a dashboard which care plans need updating – and send a message to staff to get it done.

“At the same time, touchCare picks up every interaction with the care staff: food, drink, body care, toileting…

“So, if I went to check how much fluid somebody has received, I can just look on the dashboard and it will tell me. I can see everything at the touch of a button.”

One of the barriers to the roll-out of technology to the social care sector has been funding; with smaller care homes worried about the cost of installing and maintaining IT amid local authority cuts and rising inflation.

However, the introduction of an effective system, such as Epic Care, can eliminate many of the costs associated with paper forms, photocopying, and postage, while streamline time-consuming activities, such as booking in new residents, stocktaking drugs, and providing evidence for regulators.

Christine added: “When you think of all the occasions on which someone has to find a form, and fill it in, and stand by the photocopier, and put it in an envelope, and that person is likely to be a nurse, you realise just how expensive paper is.

“Even when you don’t cut costs, you release time, which nurses and staff can use to care for people.”

Eileen Byrne, managing director of Clanwilliam commented: “Showcasing our ongoing commitment to bringing our existing, successful healthtech innovations to new markets, we are excited to bring Epic Care to the UK.

“With Epic Care, care homes can benefit from a proven, scalable solution that enhances care quality while simplifying day to day operations.”

Care homes interested in Epic Care will have the chance to see the system at the Care Show at the NEC in Birmingham on 9 and 10 October.

The theme of the show is ‘building better care for the future’ and Clanwilliam will be demonstrating how modern systems like Epic Care can contribute to this goal.

Telstra Health and HealthLink pioneer FHIR integration for smart referrals in the cloud

Posted on by Lauren Turner

Telstra Health and marketplace partner HealthLink, a leading referral technology in Australia, today announced the integration of HealthLink SmartForms into Helix, to digitally transform the referrals process for Telstra Health’s customers using its cloud-based general practice patient management software.

The integration of HealthLink SmartForms with Helix enables users to electronically refer patients to any healthcare provider or related service quickly and reliably, removing the time and cost burdens associated with paper-based referrals. Helix joins other Telstra Health solutions, such as MedicalDirector Clinical, Pracsoft, and Bluechip, in offering enhanced clinical workflows, seamless data exchange, and increased efficiency through digitised referrals.

A group of general practices using Helix successfully implemented HealthLink SmartForms as part of an early adopter program, reporting positive feedback, efficiency gains and better user experiences for both patients and clinicians. Multiple stages of rigorous testing and validation followed to ensure reliability, robustness and readiness for broader implementation.

HealthLink is the first partner to integrate with a Telstra Health product using Telstra Health’s Smart API+ solution, launched in August to offer technology partners a unified FHIR-based gateway to connect seamlessly with Telstra Health’s primary care software.

Telstra Health’s General Manager Ecosystem, Louise Ryves, said this integration provides a useful blueprint for the digitisation of our sector while ensuring compatibility and interoperability into the future.

“By aligning our solutions to FHIR standards, and forming strong technology partnerships, like the one we have with HealthLink, we can quickly break down the barriers to a more integrated health system by enabling our partners to build once and then integrate many times.

“This integration validates our investment into connected care, including Smart API+, and it’s exciting to see the positive impact it is having already for our customers and partners, by making integrations easier, safer and more cost effective,” said Louise.

For HealthLink, part of global healthtech company Clanwilliam, this integration is also significant, as it represents the first time the technology partner has integrated with a software provider using the FHIR standards, opening more opportunities for standardisation across the healthcare sector.

This integration highlights HealthLink’s technology direction and alignment with broader national health objectives. The work being done with the Department of Health and Aged Care (DOHAC) and initiatives like the CSIRO Sparked Program underscores the importance of innovation and interoperability in advancing the national digital health agenda. Through these collaborations, both organisations are contributing to the creation of a more connected and efficient healthcare system.

David Young, Managing Director of HealthLink, Clanwilliam Australia, added,

“This is one of our many exciting projects in the pipeline, focusing on collaboration with partners, which we believe is key to advancing true interoperability in Australia.

“We are delighted to see our long-term investment in FHIR-based integrations being realised for the first time in the market with this SmartForm deployment in Helix through Telstra Health’s Smart API+ solution, and we look forward to developing more standards-based FHIR solutions for general practice in conjunction with government and industry.

“With up to 90% of general practices in NSW using HealthLink’s SmartForm technology to refer patients from their practice management system to other organisations, this integration presents an opportunity for practices Australia wide and is a game-changer for our customers and partners,” said David

To learn about the benefits of using Helix for general practice, visit: https://www.telstrahealth.com/products/helix/

To find out more about partnering with Telstra Health using Smart API+, visit: https://www.telstrahealth.com/products/smart-api/

To find out more about HealthLink SmartForms, visit: https://www.healthlink.com.au/products/healthlink-smartforms/

Telstra Health Media Contact: Claire James | 0425 887 397

HealthLink Media Contact:  Lauren Turner | +44 777 3535 696 &  Nadia Heta | 0450 537 751

 

 

About Telstra Health

Telstra Health is Australia’s largest provider of digital solutions and services to healthcare providers and governments across the care continuum. Telstra Health has established a unique footprint, both locally in Australia and internationally, through its deep experience and expertise across the entire spectrum of health, aged care and social services. Telstra Health works to improve lives through digitally-enabled care for the communities it supports. It strives to realise a connected and improved digital health experience for all, delivering value to patients and providers.

About HealthLink

HealthLink, part of Clanwilliam, is Australasia’s largest Health IT network, connecting more than 15,000 medical organisations and facilitating the secure exchange of over 100 million clinical messages annually. HealthLink’s solutions enable healthcare providers to seamlessly integrate with other health systems, ensuring the accurate and timely sharing of clinical information. Through innovative technology and a commitment to interoperability, HealthLink empowers healthcare professionals to deliver better patient outcomes. HealthLink was acquired by Clanwilliam, a global healthcare technology organisation, in 2017 and forms part of the Clanwilliam ANZ division which includes leading healthcare technology products and brands: Konnect NET (medical information request platform for insurers), Toniq (pharmacy software), and MBS (anaesthetic private practice software).


NSW Health and HealthLink eReferral expansion hits key milestones

Posted on by Lauren Turner

In October 2023, HealthLink part of global healthtech company Clanwilliam and NSW Health began a phased roll out of the HealthLink eReferral SmartForms technology, and the NSW Health electronic referral management system (eRMS) across multiple Local Health Districts (LHDs).

This expansion has proven to be a huge success one year into the roll out, and GPs are singing its praises.

The solution integrates into practice management software such as Best Practice, MedicalDirector Clinical, Genie, Medtech, Zedmed, Communicare and Shexie, enabling direct, two-way electronic communications between referring practitioners and NSW Health’s outpatient clinics.  These communications support the initial submission of outpatient referrals by external healthcare professionals, triage review and acceptance by the LHD clinics via the eRMS system. Additional integrations with practice management software for SmartForms are planned for the near future.

Several key milestones in the joint expansion project have now been achieved:

  • The development and adoption of new Specialty eReferrals that meet the NSW Ministry of Health’s state-wide Referral Criteria

  • The use of Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources (FHIR) as the standard to exchange communication between NSW Health and external healthcare providers

  • 6x LHDs implementing the eRMS;

    • Sydney LHD (Women’s Health)

    • South East Sydney LHD

    • Western Sydney LHD

    • Illawarra Shoalhaven LHD

    • Central Coast LHD

    • Far West LHD

  • Increased usage with now over 22,000 eReferral SmartForms submitted from 1,500 Healthcare Practices to the LHDs

  • Enhancements to the secure communications capability enabling seamless Referral Updates and Addendums to be facilitated between GPs and hospital across NSW.

More expansion and more features to enrich the solution

The Update Referral feature now enables hospitals to request GPs to submit additional information to their initial referrral supporting more accurate and efficient triage decision-making, while GPs can also proactively use the feature to submit additional information to previously sent referrals.

Other features include the development of more specialty forms to provide greater assistance to referrers and receiving clinics, as well as patients being notified of their referral outcome via text and email.

From July 2024 onwards, expanding the use of the eRMS and the HealthLink SmartForms is planned to continue across:

  • South East Sydney LHD (Sutherland Hospital, Prince of Wales, and Royal Women’s Hospital)

  • Far West LHD

  • Western Sydney LHD – Westmead Hospital

With more LHDs, like Western NSW LHD planning their implementation of the eRMS later this year.

GPs thrilled with eReferrals

NSW GPs are singing the praises of the eReferral solution, including Dr Annabel Kain who is a GP at Erskineville Doctors.

“Using HealthLink to provide referrals to my local hospital outpatient’s clinic has made the process much more efficient and just as easy as using HealthLink for driver’s licence assessments and My Aged Care referrals,” Dr Kain says.

“Having the ability to click a few buttons to include reports and investigations saves time and often I’ve sent it while still chatting to my patient. If I send a referral through HealthLink I know that it’s gone to the right place and is not floating around on a fax machine somewhere. I get a response from the clinic that it has been received and even the patient getsnotified of their referral outcome.”

Similarly, Dr Julie Ong, a GP at Healthway Medical Practice, says eReferrals are a free, easy, efficient and user-friendly tool.

“It allows me to refer my patients to many specialists of my choice.” she says.

Collaborative effort

HealthLink, Clanwilliam Australia, National Manager, Jean-Christophe Meunier, says the most satisfying compliment they’ve received so far working on the system roll out with NSW Health has come from recent evaluations conducted with hundreds of referrers using the system.

“When we asked referrers whether there were any specific hospitals, services and/or specialties they’d like to see available for NSW Health eReferrals, every respondent confirmed they wanted the eReferral capability expanded to cover more services and specialties at their local hospitals.”

HealthLink’s SmartForm technology is used by over 90% of general practice in NSW to refer patients from their PMS to other organisations. The MyHealthLink Portal can also be used by referring practitioners who don’t have a SmartForm-compliant PMS.

About HealthLink

HealthLink, part of Clanwilliam, is Australasia’s largest Health IT network, connecting more than 15,000 medical organisations and facilitating the secure exchange of over 100 million clinical messages annually. HealthLink’s solutions enable healthcare providers to seamlessly integrate with other health systems, ensuring the accurate and timely sharing of clinical information. Through innovative technology and a commitment to interoperability, HealthLink empowers healthcare professionals to deliver better patient outcomes.

HealthLink was acquired by Clanwilliam, a global healthcare technology organization, in 2017 and forms part of the Clanwilliam ANZ division which includes leading healthcare technology products and brands: Konnect NET (medical information request platform for insurers), Toniq (pharmacy software), and MBS (anaesthetic private practice software).


Clanwilliam’s pharmacy product RxWeb supports delivery of national EPS service in Wales

Posted on by Lauren Turner

Delivery of an Electronic Prescription Service (EPS) in Wales is gathering pace, with healthcare IT supplier Clanwilliam now at the official testing stage of the programme.

On-site testing of RxWeb has begun at Sully Pharmacy and MW Phillips in Cadoxton, Barry, the pharmacies that will be going live alongside Sully GP surgery.

After a successful testing pilot period, the software will be rolled out at further pharmacies across Wales from later this year.

The work is supporting the delivery of an electronic prescription service which is being led by the Digital Medicines programme in Digital Health and Care Wales (DHCW).

The service enables GPs and prescribers to send prescriptions digitally to the patient’s nominated community pharmacy, without the need for a green paper prescription form. This makes the prescribing and dispensing of medicines safer and easier for patients and healthcare staff.

Jenny Pugh-Jones, DHCW’s lead for e-prescriptions, said: “We’re delighted to see Clanwilliam supporting the delivery of electronic prescribing in Wales and we welcome them as the latest pharmacy system supplier to reach this stage.

“As we have already seen from early adopter live test sites, e-prescriptions are making a big impact, helping to transform the way GP practices work and offering a more convenient service for patients.”

Eileen Byrne, Clanwilliam’s managing director, said: “We are excited to be delivering EPS for our customers in Wales, and the benefits it will bring to both them and their patients. Our aim over the last few years has been to free up time for pharmacy staff through innovation, and we see the introduction of EPS as the enabler for this.”

Clanwilliam received funding from the Community Pharmacy System Innovation Fund to help develop its EPS technology. The Fund is led by Life Sciences Hub Wales in partnership with DHCW on behalf of Welsh Government.

Cari-Anne Quinn, Life Sciences Hub Wales Chief Executive, said: “We’re thrilled to see Clanwilliam joining the ranks of pharmacy system suppliers advancing electronic prescribing in Wales. This collaborative effort underscores our collective dedication to leveraging technology for improved healthcare outcomes and sustainability.”

Phased national roll out of this new digital service begins this summer.

Electronic prescribing in Wales is one of four programmes and projects supported by Digital Medicines that will deliver the benefits of a fully digital prescribing approach in all healthcare settings in Wales. It will also save up to 40 million paper prescription forms from being printed each year in Wales.

iMedDoc Attends BASK 2024 Spring Conference

Posted on by Lauren Turner

We want to make payments as smooth as possible for our customers so we are delighted to announce our new partnership with Billink.

Billink to make payments in clinical practice easier by focusing relentlessly on simplifying both sides of any transaction. They do this by making it easier for practice staff members to create and manage payments while also making it exceptionally easy for any patient to pay their practice.

In the Billink Dashboard you can now toggle a setting on/off that will automatically send your patients a reminder text message if they have not paid you after 24 hours from the initial Billink being sent. Research shows that text messages achieve a 98% open rate on average and reminders have been shown to result in faster payments to your practice. This feature has now been activated by default. It can deactivate/reactivate this feature any time from inside your Billink dashboard.

All Billink users receive a weekly insights report along with the remittance report. We use the insights report to summarise how well your practice is using Billink compared to the network average as well as listing the patients who still owe the practice fees from outstanding Billink payments from the previous week.

And the claims of ‘I never got that’ are now officially a thing of the past! Billink has added in functionality that allows you to see exactly when the message was sent, viewed and paid by the patient. You will also be able to see these details for all resent Billink and automatic reminders.

Second chance at life with Green Prescription

Posted on by Lauren Turner

“It’s given me a second chance at life. If it wasn’t for Green Prescription, I’d be a couch potato or may not even be alive”

When Aucklander Cathy started her Green Prescription journey, she had no idea of the life-changing effect it would have.

“It’s given me a second chance at life. If it wasn’t for Green Prescription, I’d be a couch potato or may not even be alive,” the 61-year-old says.

Green Prescription is a free, 12-week (or longer) programme offering patients support to become more active and eat healthier. It’s been running for over 25 years and has helped thousands of Kiwis improve their health and wellbeing.

eReferrals can be made to Green Prescription using CareSelect.

Cathy first learnt about the Green Prescription programme when her GP referred her.

“I got so much support. I attended nutrition workshops, diabetes workshops, smoking cessation workshops and joined aqua aerobics classes.”

Since starting with Green Prescription, Cathy has dropped from 157kg to 125kg and has stopped smoking two packets of cigarettes a day.

“I’ve also stopped drinking fizzy drinks. I still like sugar in my coffee, but at a reduced rate.”

She also swims every day now, getting up at 4.30am to hit the pool for an hour.

“I feel so alive and good about myself after a good workout in the pool. It’s a perfect way to start the day. I’ve gone from just water-walking to being able to breast-stroke 100m without stopping,” Cathy says.

“It’s relaxing and therapeutic and takes the stress off my joints. I feel so happy and good about myself after each workout. I haven’t reached my goal weight yet but I’m stronger, fitter and happier than I’ve ever been.”

Overcoming challenges

It hasn’t been an easy road for Cathy on her wellbeing journey, but she’s overcome many challenges.

“Initially I looked for excuses not to get up like it’s raining or too cold or I’m too tired. I have osteoarthritis in my knee, so I used that as an excuse not to get up, but then I changed my mind set about needing to move around.”

And Cathy has some words of encouragement for other people embarking on their own wellbeing journey.

“Take that first step, you need to want to change. Don’t rush it and set achievable goals that you can build on. Look around at your children and grandchildren and aim to be around or them. You’ll feel sore but be grateful as you’re alive!”

She also says eating smaller portions and fewer takeaways has helped her, as well as not eating after 7pm.

“And drink water, it’s free.”

Different delivery methods

Sport Auckland and Harbour Sport deliver the Green Prescription programme to patients across Tamaki Makaurau.

Sport Auckland Health & Wellness business development manager Michael McCormack says the programme can be delivered in different ways to suit people’s needs.

“Whether it’s face-to-face community programmes, online exercise classes or telehealth and text support, there’s a delivery method to suit everyone.”

As well as GPs and nurses being able to refer patients to the programme using HealthLink, health coaches and health improvement practitioners can also send eReferrals directly to Green Prescription.

Michael says the programme is making a huge difference to people’s lives.

“It’s about getting people moving, eating a healthier and more balanced diet, and creating permanent lifestyle changes that people can eventually manage themselves.”

How to refer patients to a Green Prescription provider:

  • open the patient record

  • launch the HealthLink homepage

  • using the CareSelect search bar type “Green prescription”

  • click “Compose Referral”.


Clanwilliam launches practice management system iMedDoc into the UK

Posted on by Lauren Turner
Cloud-based, mobile-centric, electronic medical record iMedDoc joins Clanwilliam’s UK portfolio of practice management solutions, alongside DGL Practice Manager.
iMedDoc offers a modern, flexible option for clinics and consultants looking to develop a successful private practice, backed by a patient app.

 

Clanwilliam is launching iMedDoc, a cloud-based, mobile-centric, practice management solution for private practice, in the UK.

Clanwilliam is already a leading provider of software to the independent healthcare sector in the UK, as the supplier of market leader DGL Practice Manager, which was developed for large private practices, hospitals and hospital teams and currently serves over 3,000 customers.

The decision to add iMedDoc to its portfolio of UK practice management solutions is driven by the need for customer flexibility. With decades of experience in delivering technology to support private healthcare, Clanwilliam recognises that each private practice is unique and has preferred workflows. By offering a lighter and cloud based solution as part of an advanced product suite customers will have the opportunity to adopt the workflow that best mirrors their desired way of working.

Eileen Byrne, Managing Director at Clanwilliam Ireland said: “Private healthcare is developing rapidly in the UK, as patients look for a faster, more personalised service than an under-pressure NHS can deliver.

“We saw a requirement for a different kind of IT system to support the clinics and specialists that are looking to deliver that service, and iMedDoc fulfils that requirement.

“It brings the mobile technology that we have all adopted in our daily lives to bear on practice management tasks, so clinicians can save time and focus on what really matters to them – their patients.”

iMedDoc was developed in Ireland by an orthopaedic surgeon who wanted to support his own practice. Over 25-years, it has evolved into a modern, modular system that can handle the entire patient journey, from booking to billing.

As a cloud-based system, iMedDoc operates over a browser from anywhere with internet access, or it can be downloaded as an app from Apple or Android app stores.

Eileen continued: “iMedDoc is used by over 700 consultants in Ireland, so we know it can enable specialists to build an effective private practice.

“Its features work together to create effective workflows for clinicians of all kinds, whether they are already established or taking their first steps into the fast-moving world of private practice.”

iMedDoc also comes with a patient app, so patients can manage their own booking, complete questionnaires and hold consultations by video link.

To reduce the time and administration associated with billing, its accounts module integrates commercial accounts systems with Billink, a remote payment solution for healthcare that makes it easy for patients to settle bills by phone or text

Clanwilliam has invested circa £500,000 in adapting iMedDoc for the UK market, making sure that it meets the specific requirements, including integration with the clearing system, Healthcode.

A robust development roadmap is in place for the next two years, starting with an aesthetics module that is scheduled for launch this winter. Among other features, the module will enable clinicians to annotate images, so they can safely deliver cosmetic treatments.

Byrne concluded: “Clanwilliam is a global healthcare technology and services company with more than three decades of experience of helping healthcare organisations and individuals to deliver safe, efficient, and high-quality care to patients.

“The decision to bring iMedDoc to the UK is a great example of our commitment to transfer proven technology from one country to another and to invest in innovation to open up new services.

“We look forward to working with clinics and clinicians who want to use iMedDoc to advance  independent healthcare in the UK, and to grow their practices by better serving their patients.”