Winner for the CCA Awards category Promoting Service User Involvement in Delivering Effective Care Processes
As a way of continuously improving the care it delivers Kent and Medway Partnership Trust have developed a Patient Portal which provides patients with 24/7 internet access to a wealth of information including, but not limited to: care plans, appointments and booking; information sharing; and notifications.
The portal takes data from our clinical information system. Whilst in this phase, data is almost exclusively read-only we will be introducing features for patients and their families to contribute to their record, increasingly supporting this partnership approach to care and support.
A primary purpose of the portal is to promote and support a person’s recovery. The Kent and Medway Partnership Trust recognise that when a person is ill, whilst they may not have full control over their symptoms, they can have control over their lives; by registering as a member of the portal patients are taking their first step towards regaining that control.Other patient benefits include: more choice about the care provided; greater involvement in their care; improved access to information; continuous improvement of care; and the ability to contribute to the quality of their care. Patients can sign up to wellbeing events, like a group walk on the Downs, because they are promoted through the site.
Additionally an Information Sharing module offers a patient choice around who they wish to share their information with, expanding the network of care and support to include, amongst others, carers, family and friends.
The site promotes collaboration between teams and other public and voluntary agencies by allowing service users to identify which organisations they share information with, as well as allowing the patient to specify the type of information shared. By way of example, correspondence like discharge notifications can be shared with GPs.
The development of the website involved using DNN (renamed Evoq) a leading web content management system for the Microsoft web platform. The benefit of this software is that it works across various devices, making the portal attractive to many different age groups.
The notification module uses e-mail and SMS texts to keep patients informed and a further module will allow voice and video conferencing direct from the browser, eliminating the need for people to install software or plug-ins.
Security was a key factor from the start and is based on designs and advice formulated by security consultants. Implementation was tested by the NCC group and we continue to test security as new features are developed. This means documents can be shared securely between service users and clinicians, reducing the need for paper copies to be sent by mail; patient feedback about the site, its content, and anything directly relating to their care can also be send to KMPT securely and safely. This has already helped to improve the quality of the data for some of our patients.
For further information please contact [email protected] and see the website http://www.cpaa.org.uk/