HMP Wandsworth uses referral software to keep inmates out of hospital
- 29 January 2021

HMP Wandsworth has started to use GP referral software to keep inmates out of hospital and help reduce waiting times. Ā Ā
Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust, which delivers healthcare services to the prison, is triallingĀ Kinesis Advice and Guidance (A&G) softwareĀ for 12 months.
The softwareĀ allowsĀ GPs, nursesĀ and other healthcare professionalsĀ working within HMP WandsworthĀ to request information directly fromĀ NHSĀ consultants.
Expert clinical advice is received within 48 hours and can be viewed on any device, anywhere.
In most cases treatment will be delivered by Oxleas NHS Foundation Trustās prison-based clinical team giving prisoners fair access to care for their often-challenging conditions.
Clinical lead for Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust at HMP Wandsworth, Dr Alex Bunn, said: āKinesis A&G brings great benefits to the prison population, has potential to reduce waiting lists and provides continuous professional development.
āAs a service, healthcare teams are keen to innovate and make better use of technology to cope with the diverse and complex medical cases prison clinicians face daily.
āAdvice and guidance improves clinical certainty. We can give patients the right advice from the right person immediately and if they do need hospital treatment, they are referred to the most appropriate department first time.ā
Kinesis A&GĀ isĀ routinelyĀ used byĀ 2,960 GPsĀ andĀ 850Ā consultantsĀ across the UK.
So far it has prevented 47,500 unnecessary hospital appointments saving the NHS £8 million in direct referrals and more £20 million when all costs are included.
Director of Kinesis A&G, Simon Hudson, added:Ā āThe traditional system of GPs referring patients to hospitals is unnecessarily costingĀ the NHSĀ hundreds of millions of poundsĀ annually.
āIt can be drastically reduced simply by GPsĀ being able toĀ communicateĀ directlyĀ withĀ consultants.
āThisĀ online platformĀ gives them a clear,Ā fast routeĀ andĀ alsoĀ improves their skills to helpĀ future patients.ā