The COVID-19 pandemic has brought unprecedented challenges for people and society and has shown that sharing information is necessary to help inform clinical decision-making; making the best decisions saves lives.
Sharing information quickly, securely, and efficiently with those who need it enables a better journey for people when they move between services. It has helped focus attention on the benefits that technology enables and has removed some obstacles that have held up progress for decades, particularly the NHS allowing access to its data to social care. The data interoperability between the two has now begun to gain traction – the more joined up the different elements of care are, the more likely everyone is to achieve the best outcomes.
The government recently published a white paper that aims to provide better, more joined-up health and care services: Health and social care integration: joining up care for people, places and populations
The report focuses on integrated care and aims to eliminate the current complex systems in place to offer a more person-centred experience. The paper sets out the Government’s ambition to ensure people receive high-quality, joined-up care across health and social care services.
Another policy paper, recently published by the Department of Health and Social Care, ‘Data saves lives: reshaping health and social care with data‘, outlines the role that health data will play in the digital transformation of the NHS and health data research in England.
The strategy’s seven principles are:
- Improving trust in the health and care system’s use of data
- Giving health and care professionals the information they need to provide the best care
- Improving data for adult social care
- Supporting local decision-makers with data
- Empowering researchers with the data they need to develop life-changing treatments and diagnostics
- Working with partners to develop innovations that improve health and care
- Developing the right technical infrastructure.
A joined up approach between health and social care will give health and social care professionals access to the right data and technology to make more informed decisions.
GP Connect is a good example of joined up care – the GP Connect service gives registered social care providers secure direct access to GP records and medical notes of those being cared for in real-time.
Person Centred Software, a leading provider of digital care management systems, was one of the first dedicated electronic care systems used in care homes to launch an integration with NHS Digital’s GP Connect HTML product.
In February 2021, Person Centred Software launched its GP Connect integration to customers via their Digital Care System which improved clinical decision-making and facilitated better patient care and outcomes.
GP Connect has had a tremendous and positive impact and has helped nurses and social care professionals have the information they need to deliver outstanding care. Registered social care providers can access residents’ case histories at record speed, enabling them to make faster and more responsible medical decisions as they continue to deal with the waiting list backlog that has arisen since the outbreak of COVID-19.
Having long campaigned for a more integrated health and social care system, the integration with GP Connect was a significant milestone for Person Centred Software. It has massively improved information flow as people transition between hospital and care home settings – reiterating the need for all social care providers to adopt digital care systems urgently.
One year from its official launch, GP Connect has demonstrated the importance of connecting GP systems withe care providers. A significant benefit of GP Connect is access to accurate and current information – which saves lives. The system also improves care workers’ knowledge base of the individuals they care for. As a result, it is becoming increasingly prevalent in today’s health and social care environments.
The journey towards a better integrated health and social care has started, and several care providers have already taken the plunge. The first step anyone can take on this journey is to acquire a digital care system that has the ability to integrate with GP Connect.
With vital information kept in one place and easily accessible, GP Connect will only drive improvements across the social care industry. That said, we must continue to see the implementation of interoperable technology throughout the UK care homes.
About the author
Jonathan Papworth is the founder of Person Centred Software, a digital care technology pioneer. Founded in 2013 to improve the quality of life for people in social care, Person Centred Software has become an award-winning global company with over 3,000 care providers in the UK alone using their digital care management system.
