Peter Gill, DCR SRO

Benefits work nets Dorset Care Record a place in the final of national awards competition

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Delivery of efficiency savings along with benefits in patient experience, care and safety has led the Dorset Care Record to be shortlisted for a national award. The shared care record is through to the Health Tech Efficiency Savings of the Year award.

Benefits found include the delivery of just over £2m in efficiency savings to its health and social care partners in 2021-2, with efficiency savings increasing over time as more data was added, making it easier for users to find information without logging into other systems or making enquiries.

The DCR team has consolidated benefits into 5 areas – time saving, printing and paper reduction, improved patient safety, improved patient care and improved patient experience. Continue reading “Benefits work nets Dorset Care Record a place in the final of national awards competition” →

Orion Health customer conference in Bristol

“Ensuring the right patient gets the right care in the right place at the right time..”

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The theme of the Orion Health customer conference in Bristol earlier this month was on building on the shared care records to make healthcare more efficient for organisations and clinicians, to coordinate care for patients and to move towards population health management approaches. Our Communications lead Tony McDougal reports.

Covid-19 has accelerated changes and the digitalisation of healthcare with a strong focus on data to improve the health and care experience for both clinicians and patients.

Newly appointed Orion Health Chief Executive Officer Brad Porter said around the world, countries were releasing data strategies that focus on the need to make healthcare more equitable and accessible to those who it need it most. Continue reading ““Ensuring the right patient gets the right care in the right place at the right time..”” →

Kevin Barlow

Occupational Therapist finds Dorset Care Record an increasingly useful resource

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Viewing the Dorset Care Record (DCR) enables Occupational Therapist (OT) Kevin Barlow to enhance client outcomes, saving time, preventing duplication of resources, and improving communication between health and social care services.

Kevin currently works as an OT in Adult Social Care Services for Bournemouth Christchurch and Poole Council (BCP) covering the Poole Town Locality. The OT work involves enabling clients, after illness or injury, to stay safe and independent in their own homes, through providing equipment and arranging home adaptations.

For example, if someone has had a stroke and is unable to use their bath, an OT would assess if equipment like a bath lift would meet the person’s need. If not, then an adaptation like a level access shower might be considered. Continue reading “Occupational Therapist finds Dorset Care Record an increasingly useful resource” →

SIDeR logo

Forthcoming webinar – The Somerset Shared Care Record (SIDeR): Wednesday 28 September 2-3pm

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We are delighted to be hosting our next webinar on Wednesday 28 September from 2-3pm, when speakers from the Somerset Integrated Digital e-Record (SIDeR) will be joining us. (SIDeR) is a clinically led, digitally enabled programme that aims to make the right information available to the right clinician at the right time.

The panel of  Dr Justin Harrington, Chief Clinical Information Officer and Associate Clinical Director Somerset ICB, Jess Brown, digital transformation officer (projects and comms) and Tiff Hodkinson, Chief Operating Officer at Black Pear software, will talk through the unique set up of the SIDeR Shared Care Record that uses FHIR endpoints to gather and display real time information from providers, including social care, for the purposes of direct care. Continue reading “Forthcoming webinar – The Somerset Shared Care Record (SIDeR): Wednesday 28 September 2-3pm” →

Dorset LPC logo

Pharmacies and the Dorset Care Record

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The Pharmaceutical Journal, the trade title for the pharmacy sector, has this week run a story on when will community pharmacies get access to patient records.

In its article, it highlighted how Dorset Local Pharmaceutical Committee (Dorset LPC) was one of a handful or organisations in England, to have been given access: “A handful of local areas are leading the way – or making steady progress – on enabling pharmacy access to a share care records system, with LPC’s telling the PJ that some pharmacies now “couldn’t survive without it.” Continue reading “Pharmacies and the Dorset Care Record” →

Dorset Council's Chief Executive Matt Prosser

The Dorset Care Record: A view from Dorset Council’s Chief Executive Matt Prosser

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In our latest think-piece, Dorset Council’s Chief Executive Matt Prosser highlights how our shared care record is helping people get the right treatment by the right person at the right time.

Today I had the privilege of spending some time with members of the Dorset Care Record (DCR) team, like many partnerships they are drawn from a wide range of host organisation, from acute hospitals, Integrated Care Boards and project staff hosted by Dorset Council.

I have often heard about the positive work of the DCR team and how the way that records can be easily accessed is such a benefit to the organisations accessing this and most importantly the individuals receiving care. “Better informed, means better care” as the mantra goes, and it makes sense, and seems simple, but as we all know just because an idea is simple it does not mean it is easy to deliver. Continue reading “The Dorset Care Record: A view from Dorset Council’s Chief Executive Matt Prosser” →

Dorset Council Chief Executive Matt Prosser meeting the DCR team at County Hall, Dorchester

Briefing Dorset Council’s Chief Executive Matt Prosser

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The Dorset Care Record team last week hosted Dorset Council’s Chief Executive Matt Prosser, briefing him of developments around our shared care record and pilot patient record.

He was given a demonstration of the DCR in the test environment with Test manager Georgina Hulbert running through its functionality with focus on benefits for a council employee. Our business analyst Sam Belhomme then talked about the myDCR patient pilots and its functionality, showcasing a video showing how it will empower patients to have a better understanding of their health and care.

This was followed by a general discussion on the cross-Dorset working and the nature of our blended team, with a focus on our benefits work and DC’s performance across the DCR Partnership. Continue reading “Briefing Dorset Council’s Chief Executive Matt Prosser” →

Engagement at WCR

Last chance to give your views on sharing patient information

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There’s a final opportunity for people in Dorset to give their views on how patient information is shared by health and care services – and in particular, what would give them trust and confidence in how this is done and where they prefer to get this information from on this important topic.

It’s all part of a programme of research being carried out by our sister organisation, the Wessex Care Records (WCR) programme, with the results being used to develop a plan for future citizen communications and engagement on information sharing.

There’s been a great response to the Wessex Care Records citizen survey but there’s still time to complete it by the closing date of next Friday (19 August) – please feel free to share the survey with family or friends if you think it would be of interest.

There’s more information on this research, including some helpful FAQs on the Wessex Care Records website or get in touch with Tim Smith, Communications and Engagement  Manager for WCR.

 

Our Patient Portal – Rolling out the myDCR Pilots

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In our latest think-piece, our project manager Theresa Smith outlines the steps taken to create a range of pilots for our patient portal.

Following go-live of my Dorset Care Record (myDCR), the patient portal element of the Dorset Care Record, in March, the next step has been to start rolling out myDCR to specific individuals across the county.

myDCR, though still a work in progress, already supports a wide range of functions, including appointment information, links to additional resources/websites, the ability to share files (photographs, documents, etc.) with clinicians and the option to receive clinic outcome letters electronically rather than through the post. Continue reading “Our Patient Portal – Rolling out the myDCR Pilots” →

Julie Nicklin, Help and Care dementia triage coordinator

Dorset Care Record provides enhanced customer service for Dorset’s revised dementia care pathway

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Patient waiting times have been cut and engagement enhanced with friends and family following the decision to give Help and Care dementia care staff access to the Dorset Care Record (DCR).

As part of Dorset HealthCare’s revised dementia care pathway service, health and care staff that were working for the Alzheimer’s Society were brought in last year to provide post-diagnostic support for people with a diagnosis of dementia, and their families and carers. This includes a dedicated early Onset (younger) dementia provision, as well as county-wide dementia roadshows, offering information on dementia to local people and agencies. Continue reading “Dorset Care Record provides enhanced customer service for Dorset’s revised dementia care pathway” →