SAP was introduced under the National Service Framework for older people in 2001 to increase the share of data between social and health care providers, and to prevent duplication of information. Northumberland, Tyne and Wear Strategic Health Authority claim that the implementation is the first in the UK to implement the system under NPfIT, and is the first step in the national rollout of SAP. Mark Harrison, North of Tyne SAP Project Manager, told E-Health Insider: “When a patient is visited by social services or a health professional for an assessment, from the assessment a care plan is put together."
“What the application will do is allow multiple organisations who are involved in the care for this patient access to the assessment that has been carried out, with the outcomes and referrals made from that assessment – if there is a legitimate reason to do so."
“At this moment we are connected to the spine," explained Harrison.
“This holds patient demographic information only at the moment. The Patient Demographic Service on the spine will allow the assessor to view and update this information to ensure that is it up to date. The spine allows further access into the assessments carried out on the application provided by the LSP, if that person has the correct access."
“The working version is excellent," Harrison said of the SAP application, which transfers the shared information between the health and social service professionals.
Harrison said that one example of the information being transferred between agencies on the spine could be mobility needs; for instance, if a patient who needed to be taken into hospital required a stairlift, social services could send a request to the PCT for this to be arranged and it would be automatically transferred to the relevant inbox at the hospital. This would be much more reliable than a telephone call or fax, he explained.
Liquidlogic has developed the SAP for older people application on behalf of Accenture. The software was delivered under Accenture as part of their LSP contract for the North East region. First tests were done under clinical and technical supervision in October, and the pilot was put in place in Newcastle and Northumberland last month.
The system is next being rolled out to North and South Tyneside, Sunderland and Gateshead in 2005. EHI understands that BT and Fujitsu are also working together in the London and South to develop a similar information-sharing system.
Dr Mark Smith, clinical lead for the NHS National Programme for IT in Northumberland, Tyne and Wear Strategic Health Authority said: "The new system will play an important part in improving the quality of patient care and supporting professionals working together as a team.
“We know that other NHS organisations across the country are watching to see how we get on over the next few weeks, and our staff will be more than happy to share knowledge, expertise and experiences."
The SHA hopes that the software will help put the patient in the centre of the care process, save time with administrative work and prevent health and social care professionals from asking the same questions of the patient over and over again.
Wendy Reid (below, middle), one district nurse who has been using the new system, said: “It will make a lot of difference in saving time and the amount of paperwork we do. Some patients need multiple referrals, but with the system we can do one assessment and have it available for each referral."
Mark Harrison will now work with NPfIT and Accenture to measure benefits realisation. “It’s been teamwork that’s allowed us to do what we have done," he stressed.
Above: (L-R) Patient Anne Laidler with district nurses Wendy Reid and Susan Stephenson, using the new system.