Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS trust is introducing a new electronic patient record system which will transform the way it documents care.
The programme, called Unity, will be rolled out from Saturday 21 September at the organisation, which runs Sandwell, City and Rowley Regis Hospitals.
The new system replaces a number of previous IT systems which will reduce the duplication required by clinical teams. It will enable the Trust to keep health records in one secure place, ensuring healthcare professionals have quick and easy access to information about their patients, enabling them to spend more time on delivering care.
Patient information will be secure and will only be accessed by staff delivering care. Patients having treatment at the Trust will not need to repeat their previous medical conditions as prior history will only need inputting once.
One of the biggest benefits is to patient safety, as the system comes with electronic prescribing functions, reducing handwritten requests for medication. GPs will be able to view elements of their patient’s hospital records and vice versa via an exchange portal.
During the first two weeks of the roll out extra staff will be on hand to help, however some patients may experience a longer than usual wait when visiting hospitals and clinics run by the organisation while clinicians familiarise themselves with the new system.
A large team of experts will provide staff with on the spot support to help them ensure that they are able to get used to the system and that a smooth transition takes place.
For more information about Unity go to: https://www.swbh.nhs.uk/media/unity-creating-time-to-care/