TPP is offering a module that lets hospital staff view and contribute to primary care records electronically, license-free to NHS trusts.
‘EPR Core’ is an upgrade to the current SystmOne Clinical Record Viewer, which has been available to trusts licence-free for more than two years.
The viewer allows clinicians in emergency care and hospitals to access a read-only version of a patient’s GP record, with their consent.
GP practices using SystmOne also receive electronic notifications of a patient’s attendance.
The new module will allow trusts to instantly access a GP record held in any primary care clinical system, again with patient consent.
Clinicians will also be able to enter data into the patient record, including consultations, which can be sent to other care providers via interfaces with other GP software suppliers.
TPP says trusts will be able to use ‘EPR Core’ alongside an existing hospital patient administration system.
Admission, discharge and transfer messages will allow EPR Core to be automatically updated when a patient moves around the hospital, a company press release says.
A TPP spokesperson told EHI that it anticipated that those trusts already using CRV or in deployment would start using the enhanced functionality.
“The NHS strategy is to achieve connected healthcare and we believe that EPR Core will help trusts reach this goal,” the spokesperson said.
“At a time when the NHS is financially stretched, TPP do not think that the NHS should have to pay for this functionality.”
Tony Megaw, assistant chief information officer at Yorkshire and the Humber strategic health authority, said the ability to enter hospital data into EPR Core was a welcome development and would enhance the benefits of the CRV.
“I am confident that the new SystmOne offering will facilitate the adoption of interoperable electronic patient records. This supports the delivery of the vision highlighted in the NHS strategy, The Power of Information,” he added.