Mind the gap
Brian Derry from the NHS Information Centre reflects on the coming financial crunch and how informatics can help the NHS through it.
Feature
Commissioning simulator launched
Commissioning specialist Humana Europe has launched an interactive training system to help GPs and practice managers in the UK learn how to commission services more effectively. The Practice Based Commissioning Simulator has been developed in conjunction with the primary care body the NHS Alliance and Swedish-based BTS, a provider of customised business simulations. Humana Europe […]
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NHS Brent gets PBC support
The first project under the Department of Health’s practice-based commissioning support framework has begun work. Clinicians and managers in NHS Brent are working with the NHS Alliance, Humana Europe and health information provider Dr Foster Intelligence. The partnership is one of five consortia on the DH’s practice-based commissioning development framework. The framework was set up […]
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Information barrier to PBC
Poor quality data and financial information remains a barrier to the successful implementation of practice-based commissioning, according to the National association of Primary Care. The NAPC, whose membership covers GP practices and PCTs, is calling for timely financial and clinical data to be made available to practices. It claims the future of practice-based commissioning is […]
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NHS Alliance promotes patient records
The NHS Alliance is promoting real-time access to medical records, claiming this will help meet the drive towards patient self-management as well as saving the NHS money. The Alliance says there is evidence to show that record sharing improves relationships between clinicians and patients as well as improving efficiency and the safety and accuracy of […]
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NHS 24 takes call every two seconds
Scottish health helpline NHS 24 received one telephone call every two seconds at the height of demand for its service over Christmas. Dr George Crooks, medical director for NHS 24, said the service had been extremely busy over the holiday weekend, answering 37,590 calls over the four day Christmas period and 39,331 calls over the […]
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Integrated care pilots urged to test integrated IT
Health and social care providers planning to bid for the Department of Health’s integrated care pilots should be expected to include integrated record systems in their bids, the NHS Alliance has recommended. In a new paper, Integrated Care Organisations: the importance of integrated information systems, the Alliance says that both the DH and individual primary […]
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Chester aims at discharge summary target
The Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust has introduced software from Medisec to meet NHS targets for the delivery of discharge summaries. The system allows the trust to know when clinical correspondence has been delivered to GPs, helping it to meet targets in the NHS standard contract. This says that trusts must deliver discharge summaries to […]
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McKesson launches InterQual in UK
McKesson used the recent NHS Alliance annual conference to formally launch its InterQual “utilisation management and appropriateness of care solution" in the UK. InterQual is aimed at providing primary care and acute trusts with support in deciding whether patients are receiving timely and appropriate care in the right place, and whether alternative and more cost […]
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Standards set for the structure of medical records
Profession-wide standards for medical records in hospitals have been agreed for the first time.
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