Vital medical information at care professionals’ fingertips
The ability to access GP record information has given care teams instant knowledge and understanding of the medical history, medication and treatment of people in their care, according to a wide range of registered care providers.
Andrea Baxter, owner and registered nurse manager, Baxters Homecare, based in Berkshire says,
Very simply, I could describe GP Connect in just one word: Amazing!
We were delighted to have been the country’s very first care provider to access a GP record for a client in this way, and we now use it on a regular basis. It saves so much time and undoubtedly helps us to provide better care.
GP Connect allows appropriate staff in CQC registered care providers access to a restricted view of a person’s GP record, ensuring they have the most up to date information to support the delivery of safe, person-centred care.
Peveral Court Care, which runs three residential homes in the Home Counties, was another one of the first care providers to test the GP Connect extension to their digital social care record solution. Registered nurse, Kefas Jeshua, commented,
GP Connect is particularly helpful when admitting a new resident. By having this information at hand we can provide the best possible care from the start.
Previously we would have to wait for an email or phone call from the GP. Now we can access the relevant information instantly, which is great! If there are concerns regarding medication, we can review the record and make more informed decisions.
Instant access to information about medication has been a huge asset for many care teams now using the service.
According to Sara Roose, deputy operations manager at Mulholland Care in Devon, using GP Connect has resulted in more effective medication management, increased communications with GPs and better risk management through improved care planning. In addition, she says it has led to financial savings for the NHS as unused medications were no longer being stockpiled.
Sara says,
Having GP Connect is definitely resulting in safer medication management.
As an example, we were able to see that a prescription for morphine, which had already been delivered by the pharmacy, had in fact been changed by the GP so was not to be administered.
As with so many other aspects of implementing digital social care records, the ability to access GP information can save valuable staff time.
Care staff at Graham Care in Kent are finding that having the ability to see a person’s GP information means they can check past medical history and previous treatment. This has been particularly helpful when hospital discharge summaries are very brief and means they can save time in admitting a person to their step-down unit from an NHS ward.
The ability to access GP information is just one of the many benefits of moving from paper to digital. You can find out more about GP connect and the support available to help providers make the switch to digital on our website.