New Processing Technique Helps Researchers Use Electronic Health Records to Study Biological Contributors to Mental Illnesses

Researchers have found a way to scan electronic health records (EHRs) that helps identify associations between broad dimensions of behavioral function and genes relevant to mental disorders. Click here to see National Institute of  Mental Health article

Investigation into clinical correspondence handling in the NHS

This National Audit Office report outlines the findings of an investigation into the backlog of unprocessed clinical correspondence discovered by NHS England in October 2017. 

It sets out the responsibilities for redirecting clinical correspondence; the build-up of the backlog of clinical correspondence within Capita; and discusses the action taken by NHS England and Capita to investigate, understand and rectify the problem.

Healthy Child Record Standard

The Professional Records Standards Body (PRSB) has launched a new set of information standards, to ensure that children receive appropriate care by setting out what information on screening tests, immunisations and developmental milestones should be securely shared for their treatment, care and wellbeing.

Healthcare Informatics

New guidance from the Royal College of Ophthalmologists.

Healthcare involves the collection and generation of huge amounts of information which is subsequently managed, utilised and shared. Healthcare informatics is the science of ensuring that this processing of information is efficient and safe for the benefit of patients. With the current rapid improvements in information technology, it is the duty of healthcare providers to harness this technology to maximise efficiency, safety and quality of patient care, as well as to help drive healthcare innovation.

This document intends to provide a glossary and basic introduction to the multiple facets of healthcare informatics and provides references for further reading.

Health Secretary challenges NHS to deliver digital services nationwide

By the end of 2018 – the 70th birthday year of the NHS – the Health Secretary said he expects every patient in England to be able to do the following online through an app:

• access NHS 111
• access their healthcare record
• book a GP appointment
• order repeat prescriptions
• express their organ donation preferences
• express their data sharing preferences
• access support for managing a long term condition

Issues to consider when implementing pharmacy access to local electronic health records (EHRs)

This briefing, from the Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee (PSNC), outlines a list of issues to be considered by Local Pharmaceutical Committees (LPCs) and community pharmacy contractors when pharmacy access to local electronic health record systems is being planned.

New consultation on digital health records for children

The Royal College of Physicians' (RCP's) Health Informatics Unit is currently hosting a consultation to seek views from parents and carers, health and care professionals and industry on the content of a new set of standards for a digital health records for children.

A clinical audit to assess the compliance of documentation of the urinary catheter care bundle in the inpatient units of Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust

From the NICE shared learning database

A clinical audit was undertaken covering the Trust’s inpatient units in order to assess the compliance of staff in the use of documentation for a catheter care bundle for patients with an indwelling catheter in line with the NICE clinical guideline for Healthcare-associated infections: prevention and control in primary and community care (CG139) and the NICE Quality Standard 61 for Infection control and prevention.

Risk of associating ECG records with wrong patients

This patient safety alert has been issued following a recently reported patient safety incident where the ‘copy’ button had been pressed on the ECG machine in error instead of the ‘auto/start’ button.

This resulted in a copy of the previous patients’ ECG results being re-printed; staff did not immediately realise the error and labelled the ECG record incorrectly with the new patient’s identifiers. As a result, the patient underwent an unnecessary procedure and had a further complication.

Mental health patients set to benefit from pioneering new digital services

Seven areas across England are set to trail-blaze digital services for mental health patients, which will include innovative apps to improve care and online access to ‘real-time’ patient records.

NHS England has announced new funding for seven mental health trusts to enable these organisations to pioneer world-class, digital services to improve care for patients experiencing mental health issues.
This will include, for the first time, all key professionals involved in a patient’s care having access to real-time records – from triage and initial assessment, through to admissions or referrals, as well as transfer between services and follow up care.

Government response to Five Year Forward View for Mental Health

The Government has published its response to the recommendations outlined in the Five Year Forward View for Mental Health and has announced that it will accept all of them in full.

The report focuses on the recommendations made to Government, which includes some for which responsibility is shared with NHS England and Arm’s Length Bodies. The recommendations and responses in brief are as follows:

Smoking cessation policy and practice in NHS hospitals National Audit Period: 1 April – 31 May 2016

The 2016 national BTS Smoking Cessation Audit was the first comprehensive audit of smoking cessation activity using BTS and NICE standards for secondary care. 

The audit showed poor recording of smoking status in medical notes. Few people who smoked were asked if they would like to stop smoking or be referred to a specialist stop smoking service and only a tiny fraction of people addicted to tobacco were offered nicotine replacement or other pharmacotherapies in hospital to reduce the symptoms of nicotine withdrawal.

Syringe Labelling in Critical Care Areas Review 2014 (updated November 2016)

Since the new standard for syringe labelling was introduced in May 2003, a number of changes needed to be made. These changes are to bring the standard in line with the change from British Approved Names (BANs) to recommended International Non-Propriety Names (rINNs) , and also to bring the standard in line with the Australian/New Zealand Standard3 and ISO Standard which have superseded it.

A common vocabulary to improve patient care

A programme of work is underway to introduce a single vocabulary for patient records to help drive primary care efficiencies and improve patient care.

SNOMED Clinical Terms (SNOMED CT) enables items such as diagnoses, symptoms, drugs and medical devices to be captured on records in a clear unambiguous and consistent way. The terminology replaces 'Read Codes', which are due to be phased out by April 2018.

A digital NHS? An introduction to the digital agenda and plans for implementation

In recent years, the digital agenda in health care has been the subject of an array of promises and plans. But have expectations been set too high? And is there sufficient clarity about the funding available to achieve this vision?

This report looks at the key commitments made and what we know about progress to date, grouped under three broad themes:

• interoperable electronic health records
• patient-focused digital technology
• secondary use of data, transparency and consent.

It identifies barriers to further progress and opportunities for delivering on the digital agenda.

CQC launches an updated code of practice on confidential personal information

The code explains how CQC makes decisions relating to people’s confidential personal information. This includes how we decide whether we need to look at medical or care records during an inspection, and whether we need to share personal information that we hold.

What do people think about proposed patient data standards?

The Government has been consulting on new standards to strengthen the security of patient information and to help people make informed choices about how their data is used.

To help with our response to this consultation, we collected people’s views on some of the broad principles behind the proposals. Find out what people said and download our consultation response.

What If People Controlled Their Own Health Data?

Health data offers the opportunity to develop a better health system for the future, but people need to believe their data is in safe hands. 

In its latest collection of essays from the King's Fund, Matthew Honeyman explores hypothetical scenarios for the future of health and care, and discusses how to realise the full potential of using this data.