Lincolnshire Community Health Services NHS Trust's (LCHS) use of a new software system to manage patient flow across the county has been recognised in the 'Best use of IT to support integrated healthcare services' category of the 2015 EHI Awards - the UK's only dedicated healthcare IT award scheme.
LCHS is receiving national recognition for its implementation of the patient flow management solution from Cayder to support hospital admission avoidance and manage complex inpatient discharges. Thanks to the new system, LCHS teams now have access to complete patient status information in real-time; including caseloads, capacity, planned availability and capability of community services.
By streamlining the communications process for patient flow, clinicians are better able to avoid unnecessary duplication, deliver simpler pathways, facilitate quicker access to the start or continuation of care and share information securely. This assures that patients receive the right care, at the right time, in the right place.
Improved efficiency also means more patient-facing time and greater partnership working between services. Jo Cudmore, Head of Operational Support for LCHS, said: "The implementation of this system has provided a focus for organisations to work together both in the development of the system to meet their needs in tracking patients through health and care, and by sharing key information in a timely manner to enable an integrated care approach for patients." Claire Early, Product Specialist for Cayder, added: "Since the initial deployment of the system, Cayder has continued to support LCHS in its development of patient flow in the county, through enhanced community capacity tracking, inpatient discharge process development and support of GP-based Neighbourhood Teams." "Together, LCHS and Cayder are engaging with partner organisations in the county to look at how other providers of patient care can benefit from the system and improve their service delivery."
There are now more than 600 individuals accessing the software and more than 10,000 distinct patients have been managed within the system. The winner will be announced at the 2015 EHI Awards ceremony, held on Thursday October 1, 2015 in central London.