The second live trial of GP2GP has successfully completed the electronic transfer of a patient’s health care record from between practices running In Practice Systems primary care software, NHS Connecting for Health has announced.
The patient health care record was electronically transferred from Cowes Health Centre to Grove House Surgery on the Isle of Wight, via the NHS Spine using In Practice Systems’ Vision software.
This second pilot follows the successful first live trial of GP2GP transfer of electronic patient records on Tyneside late last year between practices using EMIS GP clinical system software.
A third more complex pilot based in Croydon is scheduled to start this summer. GPs in Croydon will be involved in transfers between practices using EMIS and In Practice Systems software.
Although the two initial GP2GP record transfer trials have gone well so far transfers between different practice systems is proving more complicated than first thought and it is likely to be next year before that is widely available to GPs. Particular issues remain with the number and size of record attachments that the NHS spine can cope with.
GP2GP transfer of patient records means the complete electronic patient record is transferred directly to the new surgery’s computer system, rather than being sent in paper format and then having to be re-input manually. The ability to transfer records electronically has consistently ranked high on GPs IT wish lists.
As well improving accuracy electronic record transfers promise to dramatically speed up the current paper-based transfers, which can take up to six weeks to complete. Some 3.3 million people change GP every year.
Dr Paul Cundy, chairman of the British Medical Association’s General Practitioners’ Committee (GPC) IT committee said: "The electronic transfer of patient records from one GP surgery to another is an enormous benefit for patients and practices alike.
"This successful second live trial demonstrates that good progress on this very important component of the work of NHS Connecting for Health to modernise NHS IT is being made."
NHS CfH said in a statement: “The GP2GP project team is moving at a measured pace, working in conjunction with the GPC and the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) through the joint GP IT committee. National roll out of GP2GP transfers will commence following the successful conclusion of live trials.”
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