Camden takes ‘quantum leap’ with iPads

Staff at Camden and Islington NHS Foundation Trust will access patient records on iPads following the introduction of a new electronic patient record system in September.

A £750,000 capital grant from the Nursing Technology Fund – the largest allocated to a mental health trust in London – will allow the trust to buy more than 300 iPads and a number of laptops. These will be rolled out to community nursing teams over the coming weeks

Camden and Islington currently uses Servelec’s RiO EPR  under a National Programme for IT contract, but has chosen to switch to Advanced Health and Care’s Carenotes system before the end of the national contract this October.

The introduction of iPads will enable mobile access to patient records for the first time after Carenotes goes live on 7 September.

"This is a quantum leap forward for our service provision," said the trust's associate director of information and communications technology, David Jackland.

"This news could not have come at a better time for us as we prepare to go-live with Carenotes. This new technology will have an incredibly liberating effect on our staff and help us enormously in our work with partner agencies. This is nothing short of a revolution in our capabilities."

Deputy director of nursing Fiona Nolan said the technology fund grant will also buy a range of software to assist data analysis.

This will include apps for use in symptom management, diagnosis, medication management, measuring satisfaction with treatment, identifying treatment needs and physical observations.

She said it is a priority for nurses to be able to access patient care records remotely, while working with people in their own homes.

“Mobile technology will make it so much easier to work with service users and their families to help them plan their care in a home environment. It will also cut the amount of time staff spend recording routine observations,” she explained.

“This new technology is going to save us a lot of time which can instead be given to therapeutic activities with service users and their families.”