NHS Connecting for Health Fact Sheet
What is NHS Connecting for Health?
NHS Connecting
for Health is an agency of the Department of Health. Its primary role is to deliver new,
integrated IT systems and services to help modernise the NHS and ensure care is
centred around the patient.
The new computer systems and
services will connect over 100,000 doctors, 380,000 nurses and 50,000 other
health professionals.
Why do we need NHS Connecting for
Health?
The NHS is
changing the way it works. Its vision for
the future is to have a more modern, efficient health service “designed around
the patient” and to give patients more
choice and control over their own health and care.
Sharing
high quality information effectively between teams and organisations will become
an important part in providing safer, higher quality, patient-led care.
NHS Connecting for Health will
deliver the systems and services which will enable information to be shared
between NHS organisations. It will mean
that all those involved in the care of a patient will have secure access to
up-to-date, accurate information for diagnosis, treatment and care. It will also enable patients to have easier
access to their own health and care information.
What are the new IT systems and services
which are being delivered by NHS Connecting for Health?
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The NHS Care
Records Service (NHS CRS) – with an individual electronic NHS Care
Record for every patient in
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The electronic
booking service, Choose and Book - offering patients greater choice of
hospital or clinic and more convenience in the date and time of their
appointment.
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Electronic Transmission of
Prescriptions (ETP) - to make
prescribing and dispensing safer, easier and more convenient for patients.
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A new National
Network (N3) - providing IT infrastructure and broadband
connectivity for the NHS so patient information can be shared between
organisations.
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Contact – a central email and directory service for the NHS,
to enable staff to transfer patient information, swiftly, securely and
efficiently.
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Picture Archiving and Communications
Systems (PACS) - to capture, store,
display and distribute static and moving digital medical images, providing
clearer x-rays and scans and faster, more accurate diagnosis.
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IT supporting GPs, including the Quality Management and Analysis
System (QMAS), support for the Quality and Outcomes Framework and system for GP
to GP record transfer.
Why does the NHS need new IT?
The NHS is providing more care than ever before and it
is increasingly complex and specialised. Care is also often provided by teams working
across a number of locations and organisations.
There is currently no national means to transfer
health and care information efficiently, securely and confidentially between
different NHS locations and the 5000+ computer systems in the NHS in
How secure will patient
information be?
Only
authorised NHS professionals involved in a patient’s care will be able to
access their record. Access will be on a ‘need to know’ basis according to job
role e.g. a booking clerk would not be able to access medical information, but
a clinican would.
State
of the art authentication processes are used.
All NHS staff must be authorised as users. Once authorised, they use a
credit card style smartcard and PIN to access the systems.
Patient
information will only be shared with NHS staff involved in their care. An audit
trail of when, where and by whom patient records were accessed, will help to
assure confidentiality.
Patients
will eventually have access to their NHS Care Record through a secure NHS
gateway on the Internet.
What are the benefits for patients?
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Easier, secure access to their own
NHS Care Record via the Internet, so they can be more informed and involved in
decisions about their care and treatment.
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Faster, safer
diagnosis and treatment because vital information (such as test results or
allergies) will be available from their NHS Care Record wherever and whenever care
is required, even outside hours or away from home elsewhere in England.
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A faster, easier way
to make hospital appointments at a convenient time, date and place using Choose
and Book, whilst at the GP surgery – or later via a call centre or the Internet.
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A safer way to
obtain medication with the Electronic Transmission of Prescriptions, which will
reduce prescription errors by enabling medication history, adverse drug
reactions or missing information to be checked on their NHS Care Record.
What are the benefits to clinicians and
other NHS staff?
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Ready access to more comprehensive,
up-to-date patient information and a fast, reliable and secure means of sending
and receiving information.
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Streamlining of
clinical practice and smoother handovers of care, supporting multi-disciplinary
team working.
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Online decision support tools, easier
access to best care pathways and faster access to specialist opinions and
diagnosis.
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Guidance on referral procedures and
clear protocols for clinical investigations.
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More efficient referrals, alerts to conflicting
medicines, and early detection of disease outbreaks.
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Reduced administration, paperwork,
repetition, duplication and bureaucracy – less time spent chasing missing notes, x-rays, referral, admission or
discharge information.
What
are the benefits to the NHS?
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Value for money
and millions of pounds of savings on hardware and software through national
procurement of IT.
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Further savings
over the lifetime of IT contracts through direct negotiation with prime contractors
and Enterprise Wide Agreements with around 80 sub-contractors.
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Better intelligence on how the NHS works, and on the health of citizens,
with anonymised information collected nationally. Real numbers, in real time,
not just a sample from spotter practices.
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Better outcomes
for the same resources.
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Real
improvement’s in every patient’s experience of care.
What
is being done to prepare the ground?
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A Service
Implementation team is working with clinicans and other NHS staff to ensure
they can exploit the potential of the new technology for better, safer patient
care and improved job satisfaction.
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Clinical leads
have been appointed to lead engagement with the professions. They are
encouraging two way communication and input into the design of new systems and
working practices, so they reflect the changing needs of patients and
clinicians.
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Managers,
clinicians and technologists implementing the new technology within trusts and
health care communities are being encouraged to think through the changes which
will be necessary. They are working to
find easier, better ways of working in both clinical practice and operational
procedures.
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National training
materials, tools and techniques are being prepared to assist in training an
estimated 800,000 staff in IT skills.
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Current best
knowledge is being delivered to professionals and patients so that all
decisions can be based on best practice and individual needs.
How it is the new IT being
implemented?
NHS Connecting for Health
and its suppliers are working closely with the NHS to implement new systems and
services in planned phases.
National Application Service
Providers are responsible for purchasing and integrating IT systems common to
all users nationally. Local Service Providers will deliver IT systems and
services on a local level for five regional clusters of strategic health
authorities –
Is NHS Connecting for Health the same as the National Programme for IT?
No. NHS Connecting for Health was formed as a
result of the Government’s review of Arms Length Bodies. The review led to the closure of a number of
bodies that work at arm’s length from the Department of Health. This will release an estimated £500 million
which can be spent on patient care.
One
of the bodies closed following the review was the NHS Information Authority
(NHSIA). NHS Connecting for Health is
administering a number of technology related programmes which were formerly
delivered by the NHS Information Authority.
The
primary work of NHS Connecting for Health is delivering the National Programme
for IT in the NHS. It is also delivering
the following programmes of work which have migrated from the NHSIA:
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Programme
and Service Governance Office
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Business
Case Support
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Data
and Information Standards Programme
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National
Clinical Classification Service
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National
Administrative Codes Service
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Information
Governance
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NHS
Terminology Service
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NHS
Security Team
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NSF
Delivery
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GP
Support Delivery - PRIMIS
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Health
Informatics
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Faculty
Development
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Health
Informatics Specialists
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European
Computer Driving Licence (ECDL)
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National
electronic Library for Health (NeLH)
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nhs.uk
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Directory
of Services
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Managed
Message Handling Service
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NHSnet
and bandwidth
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Pathology
Messaging
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NHS
Mail and Directory Service
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NHAIS
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NHS-Wide
Clearing Service (NWCS)
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National
Strategic Tracing Service (NSTS)
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NHS
Numbers for Babies - Service (NN4B)
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NHS
Central Register - Service
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Contact
Centre
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Service
Delivery NHS Support
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Morbidity
Query Extract Service (MIQUEST)
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NHAIS
Hosted Services
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Tracking
Database
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Strategic
Studies Team
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Systems
Accreditation Testing
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National
business requirements and support
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Model
Communities
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Communications
and Messaging
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Information
Standards Board
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National
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