Congratulations are due to Medway NHS Foundation Trust and South Warwickshire NHS Foundation Trust this week, both of which have gone live with new patient administration systems (from Oasis/Allscripts and CSC respectively). The two trusts now have plans to build on their PAS investments to address the pressing need to get out of special measures in one case, and to move towards paperless working in both.

One of the very practical issues with moving from paper to digital processes is discussed by EHI News contributor Adrian Byrne this week, in a column looking at the practicalities of getting test results both viewed and acknowledged. It sounds easy, but isn’t, given the way medics work in a large acute trust.

Another columnist, Dr Joe McDonald, has also been musing on the practical use of new IT. With the Summary Care Record now covering 50 million patients, and many of those patients carrying smartphones, he argues it is time for the NHS to look at working with companies like Apple on an app that paramedics, out-of-hours doctors and others could access through the lock screen.

Finally, Digital Health Intelligence, EHI News’ parent company, has been able to announce a major investment in the CCIO Leaders Network, which it also hosts, with McDonald and two other clinical information leaders appointed to new, development posts thanks to support from NHS England.

Medway live with Oasis/Allscripts PAS

Medway NHS Foundation Trust went live with its a patient administration system over the weekend in what its director of informatics has described as “an absolutely exemplary implementation – so far.”

South Warwickshire live with Lorenzo

South Warwickshire NHS Foundation Trust has gone live with CSC’s Lorenzo electronic patient record system in the first phase of its ‘Project 2020’ IT strategy.

Wirral prescribes Cerner for IT boost

Wirral University Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust’s implementation of the Cerner Millennium electronic prescribing system will help it “regain the crown” as an NHS innovator, its IT director has said.

Fiddling figures a jail crime from April

NHS directors and senior staff who publish false or misleading information could face a two-year jail sentence as part of a crackdown on cover-ups in the NHS.

SCR reaches 50m patients

The NHS Summary Care Record has reached the 50 million patient mark, with more than 30,000 record views now occurring each week.

'Dr Google' launches in US

American residents who Google their symptoms will now see medical facts directly in their search results, in a move from the internet giant to provide easier access to health information.

CCIO network project team appointed

A talented team of three highly experienced clinical information leaders has agreed to take on project roles with the CCIO Leaders Network, to support the acceleration and development of chief clinical information officers.

Medway NHS Foundation Trust finally switched off its McKesson Totalcare patient administration system this week, and switched on a shiny new PAS from Oasis (now owned by Allscripts). Just how old was the old PAS? Trisha Bain, the trust’s director of informatics, told EHI that the project team had a picture of Rick Astley on the wall, to remind them of the era in which it was installed.

For younger EHI readers, and those whose memories of their boy band days are fading, Astley was a clean-cut teen idol who had two big hits in 1987: Never Gonna Give You Up, and Together Forever. Which must, indeed, have seemed very appropriate for Medway and Totalcare; until, at last, they did come to part.

Ade Memoire on closing the loop

Adrian Byrne, the director of IM&T at University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust, says test results need to be acknowledged – but making sure that they are is far from easy.

“I am impressed how they have been able to push this forward at a time when the degree of scrutiny and work required to get the hospital out of special measures has dominated the situation and most managers’ workload.”

“Interoperability issues spiked my New Year fitness regime on day one. Foiled again. Maybe next year.”

Dr Joe McDonald had good intentions; but somehow they didn’t work out. He still thinks that a Summary Care Record app that can be accessed through the lock screen of a mobile device would be a good idea, though…