Chase Farm Hospital has been awarded EMRAM Stage 7 from the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS).

EMRAM – the Electronic Medical Record Adoption Model – grades a health facility’s adoption and maturity of its EMR capabilities. Stage 7 is the highest level an organisation can achieve.

Chase Farm Hospital – which is part of Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust – joins Sunderland Royal Hospital, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and Alder Hey Children’s NHS Foundation Trust in achieving the HIMMS elite digital status.

Dr Alan McGlennan, Chase Farm’s chief executive, said: “We are delighted that Chase Farm Hospital has achieved a stage 7 rating – this is testament to the hard work of our staff and the vision we had from the very beginning to deliver truly outstanding care to our patients which was supported by digital excellence.

“The inspectors told us we clearly demonstrated how a digital culture was embedded in the hospital and this approach is key to the future of the NHS.”

The criteria for stage 7 demands that a trust has improved patient safety by providing critical information where and when clinicians need it. In addition, the hospital has also reduced time and errors in care delivery and seen an increase in patient satisfaction.

Chase Farm was validated as HIMMS EMRAM stage 6 in 2019, with the newest achievement showcasing the speed at which it has increased the use of advanced technology and its commitment to digitising its services.

John Rayner, HIMSS regional director for EMEA [Europe, the Middle East and Africa], said: “It was impressive to see how analytics were used to monitor and improve outcomes in triage in the Urgent Treatment Centre, to reduce waiting times for elective orthopaedic surgery and for the reduction of surgical site infections.

“The hospital has demonstrated a strong leadership culture taking staff on an on-going journey to provide better and more equitable patient care and increasing staff satisfaction.”