Clanwilliam launches practice management system iMedDoc into the UK

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.

How IT can deliver the time and support that pharmacy needs to deliver new services

Pharmacy First could pave the way for pharmacy to become the backbone of primary care in England – but pharmacists will need investment and support to deliver. Clanwilliam is committed to making the scheme a success and is investing in the technology solutions that will be required, says Jon Williams, product owner of RxWeb. 

 

We all know the healthcare system is under enormous pressure, and the only way to alleviate that pressure in a sustainable way is to address it at source. If we collectively want to reduce pressure on GPs, out-of-hours services, and EDs, we need to re-think our service touchpoints, so patients don’t just access care faster, but obtain the advice and care they need earlier.

One of those key touchpoints is pharmacy, which has the potential to become the backbone of primary care in the UK and to provide valued advice and support to patients, while continuing in its traditional role as a trusted supplier of medicines.

The UK government has started to recognise this potential. Over the past few years, it has turned to pharmacies to deliver vaccinations and basic health checks, alongside other primary care providers. Then, at the start of the year, it took a big step forward with the launch of Pharmacy First in England.

Pharmacy First is a huge opportunity: but pharmacy is under pressure  

Pharmacy First enables pharmacies to supply over the counter and prescription medicines for seven common conditions (sinusitis, sore throat, earache, infected insect bites, the bacterial skin infection impetigo, shingles, and uncomplicated UTIs in women).

However, that simple description understates the importance of the scheme, which could pave the way for pharmacy to become the first port of call for primary care in the UK.

The challenge is that pharmacies are also under pressure. A survey for a recent ITV Tonight investigation found that 48% of the 980 pharmacists who responded were worried they wouldn’t have the capacity to deliver Pharmacy First.

More than 400 pharmacies have closed every year for the past four years, and that is pushing a lot of additional work onto those that are left. In a recent meeting, I heard that the average pharmacy is dealing with 8,569 prescription items per month – and that’s squeezing the time available for additional services.

The survey also heard concerns about a shortfall in funding for Pharmacy First and the ongoing shortage of medicines. To address these challenges, additional investment and support will be essential.

Investment and support are needed: and technology is key 

A huge component of that investment and support will need to come from technology. Clanwilliam, the global healthcare technology group and home of RxWeb, has an unwavering commitment to making Pharmacy First a success and is working with user groups and customers to identify the tools that will be required.

We are investing in our leading pharmacy system, RxWeb, to make the process of dispensing and delivering medicines to patients faster and more efficient, so pharmacists have the capacity to take on services. And we’re developing an RxWeb Services platform to enable pharmacists to book, deliver and claim for services.

 

  • One-Click Dispensing: In 2021, we introduced One-Click Dispensing. This uses a series of algorithms to check whether prescriptions downloaded to the ‘To Be Dispensed’ queue are eligible for One-Click (broadly, because the patient has been prescribed them before). If they are, then One-Click runs through 12 automated checks, creating time for the pharmacist to work on something else. Working with a test pharmacy handling around half of those 8,569 items each month, we found that 72% of prescriptions could go through One-Click: which saved around 19 hours of pharmacist time per month, or 228 hours per year.
  • Clinical Checking screen: We then looked at the prescriptions that can’t go through One-Click, because they fail one of those 12 automated checks. Our Clinical Checking screen, highlights to pharmacists where the prescription has failed at an item level, so they only have to conduct those checks manually. Listening to feedback from our customers, we have found that their pharmacists now typically spend an hour going through the scripts requiring clinical checks in the morning, before moving on to other work, and then coming back to it at lunchtime.
  • Accuracy check and BagTracker: At the end of the One-Click process, we have an Accuracy Check, to make sure that the label matches the pack and the patient. We have also created a BagTracker app to help dispensing staff keep track of where items are in the pharmacy and locate them quickly. This was born out of conversations with customers that told us finding misplaced bags can take up to 45 mins of their staff’s time. With BagTracker, once items have been dispensed and bagged, staff can scan the barcode on the storage location and then scan the patient barcode on the bags and enter them into the location or locations. When adding the bag, an SMS can also be sent to the patient to advise them that their meds are ready to collect. When the patient arrives, BagTracker will tell the user where the bag or bags are located e.g. shelf, fridge, CD cabinet etc. This dramatically reduces the time spent locating bags, whilst improving the patient experience.
  • RxWeb Services: Launching in the spring, our new services application will provide an integrated solution for services. Our appointment led application will allow pharmacies and their customers to book appointments for services. Slots can be tailored by the pharmacy to suit the service type and length of consultations, which will also be displayed to patients on the services app to book. We are also integrating our video consultation system into the application, so pharmacies can set up virtual appointments for patients who want them. Once an appointment commences, the application will generate a questionnaire to guide and capture the consultation. Starting with the New Medicine Service, we will then build in further service questionnaires to cover all the key services. As, we add these services we will also be integrating them with the NHS APIs to receive referrals and send claims directly to the Manage Your Service system.

 

Clanwilliam is creating the tools for success 

RxWeb is able to make these developments because it is part of Clanwilliam, which operates internationally but still has a deep understanding of the needs of the NHS and its providers.

Our reach means we have been able to bring useful ideas from Ireland to the UK and develop them to meet the specific needs of our pharmacy customers in the new environment in which they are operating.

 

RxGraph

Another good example of our approach is the launch of our product Epic Care in the UK, which should also happen later this year.

Epic Care is Clanwilliam’s aged care software solution that is used in care homes, which have their own challenges in providing care and accessing GP and emergency services.

Our intention is to integrate Epic Care with RxWeb, to provide a more complete solution for care home staff and residents, so they have easier access to advice, support, and medicines – when and where they need it.

It’s all part of our vision, which is for a better resourced, more effective, and sustainable healthcare system, and our commitment, which is for putting in the investment and technical resources needed to deliver that.

We are excited about Pharmacy First, so we are investing in the development of the tools it will require, starting with new functionality in RxWeb to free up pharmacy time and moving on to a new delivery platform.

With this support in place, we are confident that our pharmacy customers will be able to make a huge success of the scheme. And by doing that, they will reduce the pressure on other parts of the healthcare system, while improving access and care for patients.

Jon Williams is product owner of RxWeb. 

 

For more information, please contact Lindsay Power on 07557 978017 or email: lindsay.power@clanwilliamhealth.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/rxweb/

Website: https://rxweb.co.uk/

 

Clanwilliam expands leadership team in New Zealand with new sales director appointment

Clanwilliam, global healthcare technology and services group and home to HealthLink, Konnect NET, Toniq and Medical Business Systems, has appointed Paul Graham as Director of Sales (New Zealand) to further drive collaboration, innovation, and coordinated strategy across the ANZ division.

Paul Graham, Director of Sales (New Zealand) said: “It is a privilege to be taking on this new role and driving forward our strategy for Clanwilliam in New Zealand. The people and products that make up our division have great potential to work closely together, leverage synergies, and share solutions that truly benefit our healthcare customers.

“We are already working on further expansion of our successful products into new markets; introducing Konnect NET’s insurer information exchange platform SureMed into Australia and exploring global opportunities for pharmacy software Toniq’s Controlled Drug Register. These initiatives underline our commitment to delivering innovative solutions that address the evolving needs of the healthcare industry.”

Paul brings with him a wealth of experience, having spent 6 years at HealthLink, New Zealand’s leading healthcare messaging provider.

Mike Weiss, Managing Director New Zealand says: “We are delighted to see Paul leading the New Zealand sales operations, an integral role in our business,”

“Paul brings outstanding experience in sales strategy, as well as a wealth of knowledge across our customer base and the New Zealand healthcare market that will help support our exciting growth plans as we focus on developing technology to help address challenges in line with national health strategies.”

Global healthcare technology and services group, Clanwilliam, was founded in 1996 by Founder and Group CEO Howard Beggs to help doctors utilise technology to deliver better care. Today, Clanwilliam is a global healthcare group of more than 25 technology products and services committed to improving healthcare across the world.

In total, the Clanwilliam ANZ division has a presence in more than 50,000 practices, hospitals and health enterprises. Other global Clanwilliam products are used by millions of professionals in community pharmacies, private practices, hospitals and NHS Trusts across the UK and Ireland.

 

[Image L-R, David Young, Howard Beggs, Paul Graham]

Clanwilliam launches Konnect NET in Australia

Clanwilliam has reinforced its presence in Australia with the launch of an AUS-specific version of its pioneering Konnect NET service.

The unveiling of the customised offering comes just weeks after the company unveiled a brand new ANZ division in a bid to further drive digital innovation across Australia and New Zealand.

Developed over the last 12 months, the AUS version of Konnect NET is aimed at enabling a more secure and effective health data exchange between the country’s insurers and health professionals, as well as collaboration between many other organisations, including Government agencies. The platform also ensures Australian Prudential Regulation Authority data-handling compliance.

 

Widespread cost, resource & operational efficiencies

Used by all major insurers and GPs in New Zealand, Konnect NET has already generated impressive results – significantly reducing paper usage and the costs associated with traditional medical data-sharing, and slashing overall turnaround times from over 20 to just five days. 

“Connecting our own innovative solutions with new markets to further benefit the sectors we operate in further reinforces our commitment to driving digital innovation, not only across ANZ, but in our other global markets too,” explains Clanwilliam Founder and Group Chief Executive Officer, Howard Beggs.

“We are investing substantially in our technology platforms to drive better connected and more agile healthcare delivery and the best possible patient outcomes. Building upon Konnect NET’s market-leading approach to data exchange in New Zealand and bringing it to the Australian sector is key to helping address current and future challenges in line with national health, business and financial sector strategies.”

 

1 pioneering product, 2 industry-leading platforms

Konnect NET comprises two platforms:

SureMed – is designed to seamlessly integrate directly into Australian business’ systems and health professionals’ clinical databases. Information is requested and shared by both parties securely, with health professionals completing a time-saving auto-populated form.

SureSmart – digitises medical forms, providing a more streamlined claims experience for patients. Health professionals access the encrypted forms from within their clinical systems and send them directly to the insurer or funder. The forms are also designed to help automate decisions and support the overall rehabilitation journey process.

 

Spearheading critical security & compliance-focused change

“Health information and health IT are underutilised strategic tools, particularly within Australia’s insurance sector. We are committed to overcoming this challenge and spearheading a crucial step-change that delivers customer experience, rehabilitation outcomes and operational efficiency improvements,” explains Dave Young, Managing Director of Clanwilliam Australia.

“The launch of Konnect NET to Australia’s insurance and wider business markets also ensures all data exchanges are underpinned by the highest security levels and regulatory compliance.”

 

Since 2017, Clanwilliam, headquartered in Ireland, has invested more than NZ$100 million in the Australasian healthcare technology market. The company remains committed to delivering innovative healthcare technology that supports healthcare professionals in providing great care to their patients.

 

For more information on Konnect NET, visit: www.konnectnet.com

 

News also published on Pulse IT 29/4: https://www.pulseit.news/australian-digital-health/insurer-medical-request-solution-konnect-net-launches-in-australia/ 

Clanwilliam unveils app to streamline GP practices

Global healthcare technology company Clanwilliam has announced the full launch of Pippo, an innovative patient focused app designed to streamline and simplify interactions between patients and GPs in Ireland. The roll out of the application is enabled by a multi-year seven figure investment with several hundred thousand euro already invested in the solution.

Pippo reduces the burden of managing healthcare administration by simplifying the management of repeat prescription requests, appointment bookings, and other patient requests. A pilot version of the app enabling the management of patient bookings was rolled out across GP practices nationwide last year. An average of 40 hours every month in administrative duties was saved by practices using Pippo over the course of the successful pilot scheme.

The full launch of Pippo includes the introduction of a new online repeat prescriptions functionality into the app. This functionality is expected to save participating practices an estimated 15 to 30 minutes per prescription and unlock valuable clinical capacity.

Many GP practices currently manage repeat prescription requests, patient appointment bookings and other requests via time intensive channels, such as phone calls, consuming valuable practice capacity. Pippo streamlines the management of these administrative functions through a fully digital and easy-to-use platform that enables patients of participating clinics to manage requests online.

Designed with stringent security standards, the platform ensures the secure end-to-end protection of patient data and is fully interoperable with existing GP practice management systems including Socrates and Helix Practice Manager.

Commenting on the full launch of Pippo, Eileen Byrne, Managing Director of Clanwilliam Ireland, said, “The nature of healthcare is rapidly evolving in our digital age. Increasingly, digital technologies have a crucial role to play in making existing healthcare services more agile, flexible and responsive, for the benefit of both healthcare professionals and their patients.

“We are delighted to now be able to offer repeat prescriptions functionality through the app, providing another seamless, patient-led interaction that creates efficiencies for practices.

“With its capacity to deliver seamless, secure and efficient interactions between GPs and patients, the roll out of Pippo is an important step forward on this journey of transforming healthcare. By increasing the efficiency of GP patient interactions including appointment booking, payments, and refilling prescriptions in a simple and easy to use way, we’re helping to unlock significant benefits for both doctors and patients.

Through Pippo and the ongoing development of our range of pioneering healthcare innovations, we hope to continue our progress in improving healthcare delivery and realising our vision of a fully connected healthcare system for all.”

For over 25 years, Clanwilliam has forged successful integrations and partnerships with healthcare technology providers and worked with key stakeholders such as the Department of Health, ICGP, and the HSE to help shape the future of the digital healthcare space in Ireland. Pippo is the latest in a series of healthcare innovations aligned with the HSE eHealth programme of work, including digital health initiatives such as Chronic Disease Management, e-Referrals, electronic prescriptions, the newly launched STC Analyser, and Covid vaccinations.

Pippo is part of Clanwilliam, founded in 1996 in Dublin, when Howard Beggs established Medicom Medical Computer Solutions to help doctors utilise technology to deliver better care. It has grown into a global healthcare group of more than 25 technology products and services committed to improving healthcare across the world. It has 19 offices and more than 1,050 staff in the UK, Ireland, New Zealand, Australia, and India.

To request more information about Pippo, contact +353 1 463 3000. 

 

[News published on the Irish Times 2/4/24: https://www.irishtimes.com/technology/2024/04/02/clanwilliam-unveils-new-app-to-streamline-gp-practices/) 

Clanwilliam launches ANZ division in a commitment to the future of healthcare across Australasia

Global healthcare technology and services group, Clanwilliam, has launched a brand-new ANZ division backed by an experienced leadership team.

 

The new division will bring together four leading technology products with a track record of delivering healthcare innovation across New Zealand and Australia.

The division, comprising of leading healthcare technology products: HealthLink (market leading secure messaging vendor), Konnect NET (medical information request platform for insurers), Toniq (pharmacy software), and MBS (anaesthetic private practice software), builds on the successful merger of HealthLink and Konnect NET operations in December 2020, bringing further structure to Clanwilliam’s expanding ANZ portfolio.

 

Commitment to driving digital innovation

Led by Mike Weiss, Managing Director (New Zealand), David Young, Managing Director (Australia) and Andrew Grant, Director of Technology, the creation of the ANZ division will encourage the exchange of ideas and technology between the experienced teams and create a focus for investment in solutions to support the national healthcare strategic agendas.

Clanwilliam Founder and Group Chief Executive Officer, Howard Beggs, said: “Our technology has been in use in multiple healthcare environments across ANZ for over two decades, from the delivery of national e-referral and SmartForm initiatives, to the management of pharmacies and private practices across the countries. This renewed focus and commitment to the region, leveraging our strengths, shared relationships, and shared knowledge will help us continue to support our strategic partners and wider healthcare stakeholders with their digital transformation plans.

“The creation of our ANZ division further reinforces our commitment to driving digital innovation in the region, and developing technology to help address current and future challenges in line with national health strategies.

“We are investing substantially in our technology platforms – particularly in API and FHIR based messaging solutions – to drive interoperability, better connected and more agile healthcare delivery, and the best possible patient outcomes across the region.”

Since 2017, Clanwilliam, headquartered in Ireland, has invested more than NZ$100 million in the Australasian healthcare technology market. Clanwilliam remains committed to delivering innovative healthcare technology that supports healthcare professionals in delivering great care to their patients, with the division being an anchor for Clanwilliam’s continued growth, innovation and investment in the Australasian market.

 

Connecting healthcare globally

Clanwilliam was founded in 1996 by Howard Beggs to help doctors utilise technology to deliver better care. Today, Clanwilliam is a global healthcare group of more than 25 technology products and services committed to improving healthcare across the world.

It has 16 offices and more than 1,050 staff in the UK, Ireland, New Zealand, Australia, and India, serving healthcare customers in over 20 countries.

In total, the Clanwilliam ANZ division has a presence in more than 50,000 practices, hospitals and health enterprises. Other global Clanwilliam products are used by hundreds of thousands of professionals in community pharmacies, private practices, GP Practices, hospitals and NHS Trusts across the world.

 

Photo features the Clanwilliam ANZ Leadership Team [L-R from back] Mike Weiss (Managing Director – New Zealand), Andrew Grant (Director of Technology), Dave Young (Managing Director – Australia), and Howard Beggs (Group Founder and CEO)

Dictate.IT Attends Best Practice London 2024

Dictate.IT attended Best Practice London at the London Olympia on Wednesday 28th February and Thursday 29th February 2024.

This is the second year of Best Practice in London and Dictate.IT’s second attendance at the show. Over 1,700 people registered to attended across the 2 days, with 12 CPD points on offer throughout the event.

Dictate.IT met a number of GP’s, Practice Managers and PCN Managers at the show, who all had the chance for a spin on our now infamous prize wheel! They also had the opportunity to try Dictate.IT’s speech recognition solution live on the stand, seeing it’s 99% accuracy from first use for themselves.

We had another great show at Best Practice London and enjoyed meeting customers old and new! As usual we got some great feedback on our solutions, with visitors to the stand really seeing how they could save time in their practice.

Rebecca Wise, Sales Director, Clanwilliam UK

Rebecca Wise: How CIOs can make future-proof investment decisions to drive efficiency and improve outcomes for the NHS

Chief information officers can make future-proof investment decisions to support their clinical colleagues, drive efficiency and improve outcomes, even when budgets are tight and a general election is on the way.

We talk to Rebecca Wise, sales director at Clanwilliam UK, the home of theatre management expert Bluespier, about the challenges, and how specialist systems with good integration can address them.

This is a difficult and uncertain time for healthcare technology.

Rebecca Wise

Central funding has been cut repeatedly over the past two years and there is a general election coming.

Chief information officers are understandably wary about approving investment, even if their clinical colleagues are clamouring for systems that can address the pressures they are facing and deliver a better experience for patients.

“That is certainly the case in theatres,” says Rebecca Wise.

“A modern, interoperable theatre system can integrate with patient portals, digitise scheduling, and generate the data required to keep teams operating at maximum capacity.

“Yet the replacement of legacy systems and paper-based working is on-hold up and down the country.”

This seems strange, when there is a political imperative to get waiting lists down. So how did we end up in this position? And how can CIOs look to change it?

Waiting – and waiting – for an EPR strategy  

The outlook for NHS IT was brighter quite recently.

The Budget in October 2021 identified £2.1 billion over three years for innovative technology to make hospitals and other care organisations as connected and efficient as possible.

However, a year ago, financial commentators calculated that just half of the money remained.

National programmes and the frontline digitisation programme, aiming to complete the roll-out of electronic patient records, had been scaled back and delayed to divert money to the frontline.

Then, in November, NHS England cut the budget further, as part of an £800 million package to cover some of the cost of last year’s strikes.

“One impact is that trusts hoping to swap their legacy EPRs for ‘next generation’ systems have been unable to do so,” Rebecca says, “and that has affected the theatre pathway.

“Radiology and pathology services have been able to access national cash to upgrade their PACS, LIMS and order communications, as part of programmes to create networks across the country.

“Nothing like this exists for theatres, so there are few alternatives for trusts that were hoping to upgrade as part of their EPR strategies.”

Legacy means inefficiency  

This matters because many trusts are using legacy theatre systems.

In some regions, that means software dating from the days of the National Programme for IT, which installed basic systems whilst new EPRs were delayed.

These systems have no integration or scheduling, so theatre teams have to co-ordinate diaries, slots, and consumables by juggling paper files.

They have no pre-op modules, so patient availability, pre-assessment forms, and real-time patient status aren’t always available when they’re most needed.

“Bluespier can change all this,” Rebecca says.

“Our specialist theatre system has strong integration capabilities – we can set up bi-directional feeds to at least 30 administrative and clinical systems.

“That means hospitals can use real-time information to make sure theatres are used to their maximum capacity.

We also have a mobile app to enable clinicians to access that information easily, where and when they need it.”

Make use of PEPs to sort out pre-op  

Bluespier also has a pre-op module that supports scheduling by taking a data feed from the patient experience portals that NHS England is funding trusts to deploy by the end of the financial year.

“Bluespier is agnostic when it comes to portal providers,” Rebecca says.

“All of the technology products within Clanwilliam UK embody an open, collaborative and interoperable approach, so we integrate with any of the well-known suppliers, and use their data to pre-populate our forms.

“One immediate benefit is that consultants no longer have to wait for notes to arrive, which all too often means getting them taxi-ed over at the last minute.

“And their teams can see whether patients have had all the necessary checks and preparation done, to reduce the risk of cancellations on the day.”

Generate data for improvement  

The benefits of a modern, well-integrated theatre system don’t stop there.

Post-operative care can be improved because nurses can see what has happened in theatre. Recalls are much easier to handle. Staff can simply search the system to generate a list of the patients affected, instead of spending days trawling through paper notes, and data is available for reporting and analysis.

“It’s helpful for trusts to know which theatres run slow and get an insight into why,” Rebecca explains.

“Our system can generate a real-time track of patient activity that shows when activity drops during the day.

“Want to get a handle on cancellations? Our system will generate a report that lets you drill down into the reasons.”

Help your theatre teams – nobody is going to stop talking about waiting lists

NHS finances are not going to improve in the short term. Diverting money to ‘the frontline’ has not

stopped the centre from overspending its Treasury limits, and large trusts are reporting significant deficits.

Meanwhile, a general election must be held by January 2025, and most commentators are expecting one to take place in spring or autumn this year.

The likelihood is that a new party will take power and, for the moment, it’s health and tech policies are still under development.

The temptation for CIOs will be to avoid spending commitments until there is more clarity on how NHS finances will be recovered and less uncertainty about the future of big, national IT programmes, like frontline digitisation.

Yet, as Rebecca says: “There are things that IT leaders can do now that will address immediate challenges and put them in a better position for the future.

“One is to bring in specialist systems with good integration and theatres are a particularly strong candidate for attention.

“It’s not just that their teams are crying out to replace their legacy IT.

“A modern, mobile, patient-focused theatre system can improve efficiency and help to tackle waiting lists, by making the best possible use of the theatre slots available.”

If one thing is certain in the current environment, it is that the elective backlog will remain the focus of political and public attention.

No government is just going to ignore waiting lists. So why not use proven technology to make the strongest possible progress on reducing them?

To find out more about Bluespier, visit: www.bluespier.com

Article published in full at Health Tech World: https://www.htworld.co.uk/news/products/times-are-hard-but-trusts-can-still-make-positive-it-choices-hm24/ 

Times are hard, but trusts can still make positive IT choices

Chief information officers can make future-proof investment decisions to support their clinical colleagues, drive efficiency and improve outcomes, even when budgets are tight and a general election is on the way.

We talk to Rebecca Wise, sales director at Clanwilliam UK, the home of theatre management expert Bluespier, about the challenges, and how specialist systems with good integration can address them.

This is a difficult and uncertain time for healthcare technology. Central funding has been cut repeatedly over the past two years and there is a general election coming.

Chief information officers are understandably wary about approving investment, even if their clinical colleagues are clamouring for systems that can address the pressures they are facing and deliver a better experience for patients.

“That is certainly the case in theatres,” says Rebecca Wise. “A modern, interoperable theatre system can integrate with patient portals, digitise scheduling, and generate the data required to keep teams operating at maximum capacity. Yet the replacement of legacy systems and paper-based working is on-hold up and down the country.”

This seems strange, when there is a political imperative to get waiting lists down. So how did we end up in this position? And how can CIOs look to change it?

Waiting – and waiting – for an EPR strategy

The outlook for NHS IT was brighter quite recently. The Budget in October 2021 identified £2.1 billion over three years for innovative technology to make hospitals and other care organisations as connected and efficient as possible.

However, a year ago, financial commentators calculated that just half of the money remained. National programmes and the frontline digitisation programme, aiming to complete the roll-out of electronic patient records, had been scaled back and delayed to divert money to the frontline.

Then, in November, NHS England cut the budget further, as part of an £800 million package to cover some of the cost of last year’s strikes. “One impact is that trusts hoping to swap their legacy EPRs for ‘next generation’ systems have been unable to do so,” Rebecca says, “and that has affected the theatre pathway.

“Radiology and pathology services have been able to access national cash to upgrade their PACS, LIMS and order communications, as part of programmes to create networks across the country. Nothing like this exists for theatres, so there are few alternatives for trusts that were hoping to upgrade as part of their EPR strategies.”

Legacy means inefficiency

This matters because many trusts are using legacy theatre systems. In some regions, that means software dating from the days of the National Programme for IT, which installed basic systems whilst new EPRs were delayed.

These systems have no integration or scheduling, so theatre teams have to co-ordinate diaries, slots, and consumables by juggling paper files. They have no pre-op modules, so patient availability, pre-assessment forms and real-time patient status isn’t always available when it’s needed most.

“Bluespier can change all this,” Rebecca says. “Our specialist theatre system has strong integration capabilities – we can set up bi-directional feeds to at least 30 administrative and clinical systems.

“That means hospitals can use real-time information to make sure theatres are used to their maximum capacity. We also have a mobile app to enable clinicians to access that information easily, where and when they need it.”

Make use of PEPs to sort out pre-op

Bluespier also has a pre-op module that supports scheduling by taking a data feed from the patient experience portals that NHS England is funding trusts to deploy by the end of the financial year.

“Bluespier is agnostic when it comes to portal providers,” Rebecca says. “All of the technology products within Clanwilliam UK embody an open, collaborative and interoperable approach, so we integrate with any of the well-known suppliers, and use their data to pre-populate our forms.

“One immediate benefit is that consultants no longer have to wait for notes to arrive, which all too often means getting them taxi-ed over at the last minute. And their teams can see whether patients have had all the necessary checks and preparation done, to reduce the risk of cancellations on the day.”

Generate data for improvement

The benefits of a modern, well-integrated theatre system don’t stop there. Post-operative care can be improved because nurses can see what has happened in theatre.

Recalls are much easier to handle. Staff can simply search the system to generate a list of the patients affected, instead of spending days trawling through paper notes. And data is available for reporting and analysis.

“It’s helpful for Trusts to know which theatres run slow and get an insight into why” Rebecca explains. “Our system can generate a real-time track of patient activity that shows when activity drops during the day. Want to get a handle on cancellations? Our system will generate a report that lets you drill down into the reasons.”

Help your theatre teams – nobody is going to stop talking about waiting lists 

NHS finances are not going to improve in the short term. Diverting money to ‘the frontline’ has not stopped the centre from overspending its Treasury limits, and large trusts are reporting significant deficits.

Meanwhile, a general election must be held by January 2025, and most commentators are expecting one to take place in spring or autumn this year. The likelihood is that a new party will take power and, for the moment, it’s health and tech policies are still under development.

The temptation for CIOs will be to avoid spending commitments until there is more clarity on how NHS finances will be recovered and less uncertainty about the future of big, national IT programmes, like frontline digitisation.

Yet, as Rebecca says: “There are things that IT leaders can do now that will address immediate challenges and put them in a better position for the future. One is to bring in specialist systems with good integration and theatres are a particularly strong candidate for attention.

“It’s not just that their teams are crying out to replace their legacy IT. A modern, mobile, patient-focused theatre system can improve efficiency and help to tackle waiting lists, by making the best possible use of the theatre slots available.”

If one thing is certain in the current environment, it is that the elective backlog will remain the focus of political and public attention. No government is just going to ignore waiting lists. So why not use proven technology to make the strongest possible progress on reducing them?

Bluespier will be exhibiting at Digital Health Rewired show on 12-13th March 2024, stand G08.

Eileen Byrne: Clanwilliam’s Role in Advancing Healthcare Interoperability and Data Security

Eileen Byrne, Managing Director at Clanwilliam Ireland, discusses the role our Clanwilliam Connect Partnership Programme plays in fostering a more interoperable e-health ecosystem for Clanwilliam customers, partners, and patients. 

Changing Healthcare Data Landscape

The healthcare data landscape is evolving. Increased data digitisation and emerging technologies means that interoperability and data security have never been more in focus.

With new EU legislation on the horizon and several significant national e-health initiatives such as the Summary Care Record and e-prescribing high on the agenda, it is imperative that the building blocks of success are in place for the healthcare sector to collectively work together to unlock the true potential of digital health and health data.

Eileen Byrne, Managing Director at Clanwilliam Ireland

Eileen Byrne, Managing Director at Clanwilliam Ireland.

While the European Health Data Space (EHDS) will have far-reaching impacts, the health-specific data sharing framework builds upon GDPR and other directives. It introduces security criteria for interoperability and electronic health record systems, thereby enhancing patients’ control over their data.

The Clanwilliam Connect Partnership Programme

The Clanwilliam Connect Partnership Programme is designed to foster a more interoperable e-health ecosystem, facilitating the secure exchange of critical patient data among Clanwilliam customers, partners, and all healthcare stakeholders.

The Programme will further strengthen cyber security across Clanwilliam’s suite of products by managing third party access through a centralised service, built on cutting-edge cloud technology with a “privacy and security by design” approach. The Clanwilliam Connect service will streamline and add additional security to the data exchange process, ensuring governance throughout all data extraction.

As part of its commitment, Clanwilliam is making substantial investments in our Connect Service to ensure our readiness for upcoming interoperability regulations and projects.

Strategic Interoperability
For over 25 years, Clanwilliam has forged successful integrations and partnerships with healthcare technology providers and worked with key stakeholders such as the Department of Health, ICGP, and the HSE to help shape the future of the digital healthcare space in Ireland. We continue to proudly support the HSE eHealth programme of work and in the last 10 years have worked with the HSE and ICGP to deliver a number of digital health initiatives such as Chronic Disease Management, e-Referrals, electronic prescriptions, and covid vaccinations.

“Collaboration and interoperability have always been at the heart of our approach, and our partnerships not only foster a more connected e-health ecosystem, they provide additional value to our customers, too.”

We also work with various trusted partners such as Cyber Fortress Security, backup and disaster recovery provider, Billink, online payments, Swiftqueue, online patient appointments and numerous e-referral providers, to name just a few. These partners add significant value to the workflow of our customers, bringing together powerful and agile technology innovations and ensuring they work seamlessly with our practice management systems.

Setting the Security Standard
While interoperability is key to overcoming numerous challenges in the healthcare sector, clearly there must be robust measures in place to minimise security and data protection risk.

More broadly with healthcare data, huge concern sits with the significant risks around invasion of privacy and loss of data control. Within primary care, we’ve encountered some bad practices in the market and with the increased risk of cyber-attacks and data breaches, “we, at Clanwilliam, have a responsibility as a trusted data processor to provide the highest levels of security and assurance to our customers.”

We take this responsibility extremely seriously when it comes to safeguarding patient and practice data, ensuring compliance with regulatory requirements, and adhering to the highest industry standards.

With this in mind, we are currently completing the roll-out of a security upgrade across our practice management systems that increases the security posture of the systems and inhibits unauthorised access. We expect to successfully complete the roll out by October this year.

To further strengthen security within the ecosystem, our robust partner assessment and assurance protocol within the Clanwilliam Connect Partnership Programme ensures that all third-party vendors and suppliers comply with rigorous standards.

While we are actively engaged with a number of partners through the Clanwilliam Connect Partnership Programme, we openly invite collaboration with all healthcare providers who share our dedication to security and innovation. Further, we will continue to collaborate with key healthcare stakeholders and customers as we navigate greater regulation around interoperability, security and patient access to EHRs.

We understand that partnering with other healthcare software vendors in the market not only aids interoperability but also accelerates innovation and we, at Clanwilliam look forward to unveiling these innovations throughout the coming year.

To find out more about our Clanwilliam Connect partnership programme, visit: clanwilliamhealth.com/products/clanwilliam-partner-programme/