Yorkshire Darzi centres use TPP

The first GP-led health centre is using TPP’s SystmOne and 20 more Darzi-style centres will go live with the clinical system, the company has announced.

The Hillside Bridge Healthcare Centre in Bradford was opened by health secretary Alan Johnson and will be followed by 151 more open-access centres providing GP services 12 hours a day, seven days a week.

Hillside Bridge Healthcare Centre is run by Local Care Direct, a social enterprise health provider, and SystmOne was supplied by Bradford and Airedale Teaching Primary Care Trust’s IT department.

Jon Slack, IT manager at Local Care Direct, said the decision to use SystmOne was in line with the strategic direction of clinical software use across Yorkshire and Humber. He said the centre caters for patients from across Bradford, the vast majority of whom will already have a SystmOne record if they have previously accessed GP services in the city.

He added: “The fact that we can see the full clinical record of any patient who may drop in from the Bradford area, that is our primary catchment area, is a real benefit. The GP can see the patient’s history, allergies and care plans.”

Slack told EHI Primary Care that future IT plans for the centre included telephone convergence. He said he expected GP-led health centres to become innovators in the use of IT.

TPP said that across Yorkshire and Humber, the East Midlands and the West Midlands another 20 Darzi centres in development were in the process of going live with SystmOne.

Chris Marsh, TPP customer relationship manager, added: “The centralised system allows patients from any GP practice to attend the Darzi centre and have their record available.

“Then, of course, any information entered at the Darzi centre can be accessed if the patient then returns to their GP practice, or is treated at any other care setting that uses SystmOne. That is what integrated care is all about.”

The establishment of 152 GP-led health centres, one for every PCT, is part of Lord Darzi’s ten-year vision for the NHS. The government announced £250m funding in October 2007 to fund the centres and 100 new GP practices in under-doctored areas.

Any member of the public can use the GP-led health centres while staying registered with their local GP or patients can choose to register with the health centres.