Release 12 is here!

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Release 12 is here!

On Saturday 18th November 2023 we implemented a new release of DCR, 1 week earlier than originally planned for and our 3rd for 2023.

Release 12 introduces a number of key features:

Infrastructure changes to allow social care – relationships to be added to the system

The DCR now has the ability accept Relationships information from both Mosaic systems at Dorset Council and Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council.  We will be working with these partners over the coming months for them to start sending the information to the DCR.

Infrastructure changes to allow substance misuse information to be added to the system:

DCR now has the ability to accept Alerts from the Halo caseload management system, which is used by community drug and alcohol services across the county.  We are working with Reach (Dorset) and With You (Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole) to deliver this information over the next few months.

This release also includes a number of fixes including a fix to enable UHD Pathology to be delivered shortly. 

Over the coming months we are expecting to see the following information arrive into DCR:

  • Care Packages from Dorset Council
  • Halo demographics, referrals and encounters
  • University Hospital Dorset’s pathology and
  • Dorset Health Care’s mental health documents

 This is our final release of 2023 and our next release will be Release 13 aiming for before Easter 2024. 

DCR trains over 7000 health and social care professionals

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Laura Bonner, training manager
The Dorset Care Record (DCR) has just reached over 7,000 trained users across our health and social care partners. Over the last year alone over 2,000 additional users have gained access to the DCR after completing their mandatory training.

We are very proud of this achievement and it’s great to be able to share some recent feedback from the training: ‘It was quick and easy to fit into the day’, ‘having live demonstrations was very good’, ‘good to have the opportunity to ask questions’.

As a DCR user, you can have a comprehensive view of an individual’s information from across the Dorset Partner’s systems in one place at the point of care which will save you valuable time and give you a better understanding of a person’s needs.

 

To gain access to the DCR, you can either complete the DCR e-learning module or attend a 30-minute webinar run by Laura, DCR training manager – for more information please use – DCR Training – Dorset Care Record – Staff area (dorsetcouncil.gov.uk).

 

We also offer to organise training for your team at one of your team meetings – please contact dcrtraining@dorsetcouncil.gov.uk for more information.

Release 11 is here

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On Saturday 12 August 2023 we implemented a new release of DCR.

Release 11 introduces a number of key features:

Infrastructure changes to allow social care – care packages to be added to the system:

The DCR now has the ability to accept care packages from both Mosaic systems at Dorset Council and Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council.  We will be working with these partners over the coming months for them to start sending the information to the DCR.

Infrastructure changes to allow substance misuse information to be added to the system:

DCR now has the ability to accept demographics, referrals, and encounters from the Halo caseload management system, which is used by community drug and alcohol services across the county.  We are working with Reach (Dorset) and With You (Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole) to deliver this information over the next few months.

New user role

We have added a new clerical admin role (for users that do not need access to clinical information) and we will be identifying users for this over the coming months.

Interoperability with CHIE

Infrastructure changes have been made to DCR in anticipation of sharing documents with Hampshire and Isle of Wight shared care record.

Social care tab

A new place in the record to show social care alerts, referrals and care packages in one place

This is an exciting period for us as we are expecting to have both University Hospitals Dorset’s pathology and Dorset Health Care’s mental health documents arriving shortly too.

Our next release will be Release 12 and we are aiming for it to be before Christmas 2023. Watch this space!

DCR news for June

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Release 11 underway:

Our latest release is now underway and on schedule to arrive in mid-August. This latest release will including the functionality for:

  1. Social Care care packages and a new social care tab in the system
  2. Drug and Alcohol service information – initially phase 1 which is demographics, referrals and encounters
  3. Code set to enable the visibility of documents from our sister record – CHIE

There will be some other minor system enhancements also being delivered with this release.

DCR usage:

We have seen, again, that our usage has topped 100,000 patient views for May. We have also, for the first time, had over 3,000 distinct active users which is fantastic and shows that Dorset Care Record continues to deliver value wherever it is used.

Benefits:

We have recently reported our benefits statistics for the last financial year and we are reporting that we have generated nearly £5m in efficiency savings this has been generated in terms of time savings and also covers the significant decrease in phone calls needed to primary care as DCR holds the answers. This financial year we are hoping to report somewhere near £8m non-cash releasing benefit as usage of DCR continues to grow.

Annual user survey:

DCR users have commented that they have quicker access to data and that patients no longer have to repeat their story because the health and social care services are sharing information.

Other results from the survey highlighted that 9/10 users said the care they give to patients is improved by using the DCR and almost half said they thought there may be a risk to patient harm if the DCR is not used.  The Dorset Council alerts were fed into the DCR in 2022 and 4/5 people reported how useful these are and the same number of users said they would like to see health and social care information from beyond the Dorset border in the DCR.

Coming soon:

We have an exciting summer ahead of us with the following due for delivery from our partners:

  • Pathology information from our largest acute hospital trust
  • Mental health clinic documents
  • Social care children’s referrals for one of our local authorities
Statistics for March 2023

Shared care record celebrates new usage milestone

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More than 100,000 records were viewed during March by health and social care professionals, marking a new milestone for the Dorset Care Record.

Figures for the month show there were 108,844 records viewed, including 89,606 views through Single Sign On and 19,238 via the web portal link.

And for the first time there were also more than 100,000 log-ins by our 6,200 trained users, with a total of 103,767 reported.

The number of pathology reports viewed was also at its highest level since the care record started 5 years ago, at just over 19,100.

Ends

Dorset Care Record logo

Dorset Care Record Stakeholder Update – Spring 2023

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Welcome to our latest stakeholder update about progress of the Dorset Care Record. This will be my last update as I have moved to become a Communications Business Partner for Adults and Housing at Dorset Council.

Two adult hospices join our shared care record

Two of Dorset’s adult hospices – Lewis Manning Hospice Care at Poole and Dorchester-based Weldmar Hospice have joined the Dorset Care Record (DCR). They will be able to provide end of life care information for our core partners as well health and social care organisations across the county.

Two hospices for adults join the Dorset Care Record – Dorset Care Record (dorsetcouncil.gov.uk) Continue reading “Dorset Care Record Stakeholder Update – Spring 2023” →

Jodie Crowfoot

Apprenticeships – Providing a rich experience of life

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After viewing several universities, Jodie Crowfoot decided at 18 that higher education wasn’t for her and decided to apply for a two year business administration apprenticeship with Dorset Council.

“I also had a part-time job with Argos and I liked earning money, so felt this was a good route for me.”

She worked in the Chief Executive’s office under former DC boss David Jenkins, providing general secretarial support, before moving to Children’s Services.

Passing with distinction, Jodie had to provide evidence-based work, which included presentations and assignments, followed by a discussion with an assessor.

“I think the apprenticeship gave me structure and an understanding of why you were doing different things. It also gave me confidence and it was great to be doing this with a peer group of 20 other apprentices. We were able to ask one another questions, help each other out. One of my best friends is someone who was on that apprentice course and, like me, she still works at Dorset Council.” Continue reading “Apprenticeships – Providing a rich experience of life” →

Tony McDougal

Keeping eyes on the goal…

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Our communications and engagement manager Tony McDougal has been involved with the Dorset Care Record since its launch 5 years ago. In his farewell piece, he highlights the triumphs and frustrations encountered on the shared care record’s journey.

It’s been an amazing five years. A privilege to provide the communications, engagement and at times, training, for our shared care record. There have been many mountains to climb. Valleys to tumble into. But buoyed by an incredibly resilient and supportive team, we have become a mature and sought-after care record.

It hasn’t always been so. We hadn’t, perhaps naively, anticipated issues around consent. Every partner had a different opinion. Council adult services, well versed in asking for consent every time they saw a patient, were at odds with acute hospitals Emergency Departments. ED clinicians said it was impossible to ask for consent for someone being carried in unconscious on a Friday night. Continue reading “Keeping eyes on the goal…” →

Lisa Trickey, Dorset Council apprentice

National Apprenticeship Week: Lisa Trickey – A 30 year career in digital

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A clerical apprenticeship at Dorset Council has helped pave the way for a 30 year career in digital technology for Lisa Trickey.

Lisa, who is currently Head of Digital Strategy and Design, says the apprenticeship has been brilliant, helping progress her career while seeking new qualifications.

Her love of all things digital started at an early age and she remembers fondly the first BBC school’s computer introduced and fascinated as computer code turned into images.

Back in the early 1990’s, Lisa was a student at Purbeck School, she embarked on a City and Guilds for Business course at what’s now Bournemouth and Poole College and was studying for A level maths. Continue reading “National Apprenticeship Week: Lisa Trickey – A 30 year career in digital” →

Lewis Manning Hospice

Two hospices for adults join the Dorset Care Record

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Two of Dorset’s adult hospices – Lewis-Manning Hospice Care at Poole and Dorchester-based Weldmar Hospicecare have joined the Dorset Care Record.

The hospices, which offer free of charge specialist palliative nursing care to people with life-limiting illnesses, will be able to receive the most up to date information available from health and social care organisations across the county.

They will also be able to provide end of life care information which will be useful for other DCR partners.

Hospices in Dorset take patient referrals from different sources – hospital, GPs or community healthcare professionals. Often these are complex cases as patients have tended to move around the health and social care system in the months leading up to hospice care. Continue reading “Two hospices for adults join the Dorset Care Record” →