17 November 2009
SystmOne and Bradford CKDEAS Receive Recognition
at UK IT Industry Awards
The Bradford Chronic Kidney Disease Electronic Advisory Service (CKDEAS) was awarded one of two 'medallist' positions in the 'Community Project of the Year' category of the BCS & Computing UK IT Industry awards last week. The awards dubbed 'The Oscars of the IT Industry' are a showcase for the very best in the UK IT industry and demonstrate outstanding achievements.
Beth Daley, TPP, says, "We're all thrilled that the project has been awarded a medal at these prestigious awards. It was a great achievement to reach the shortlist of ten, so to finish as a runner-up is really quite remarkable. We hope that it will help us to raise the profile of the great work that NHS staff in Bradford are doing, and demonstrate how SystmOne can help patients in this area and beyond. We're also delighted for the winners, a Comic Relief project, and feel privileged to have been able to compete in the same category as them."
L-R Philippa Cole (TPP), Dr John Connolly (GP), Beth Daley (TPP), Ian Jones (NHS Bradford & Airedale), Simon Wilson (NHS Bradford & Airedale), Kamal Virdi (TPP) and Luke Tiernan (TPP) at the awards ceremony.
The CKDEAS was developed by Dr John Connolly (GP and Technical Lead, NHS Bradford and Airedale) and Dr John Stoves (nephrology and general medicine consultant, Bradford Royal Infirmary), with support from PACE (Promoting Action on Clinical Effectiveness) and Bradford Institute for Health Research.
Bradford CKDEAS' use of SystmOne has led to a reduction in unnecessary secondary care referrals for renal patients. Instead of the GP sending a letter to the consultant at hospital, the information is sent securely through SystmOne. The consultant can then view the full patient record and so can perform a detailed and efficient review without the patient having to make a hospital visit. Patients requiring outpatient clinic assessment are identified and others benefit from timely specialist advice. Unnecessary clinic visits are avoided, freeing up resources for patients who need them most.
Dr Stoves explains, "I can build up a very clear picture of the patient with the wealth of information in the SystmOne record that wouldn't be available to me if I was sent a letter about the patient. For example, I can see details of the medical history, family history, current medication, medication history and previous communications between the GP and other specialists. We're seeking to avoid unnecessary referrals. If we, as nephrologists, can't add any value to a patient's care, clinic referral at that time is unnecessary. Conversely, we are very keen to see those patients who we think will benefit from further nephrological assessment. The CKDEAS project allows us to consult electronically about borderline or difficult cases. If the patient can be managed in primary care, closer to home, causing less stress and inconvenience, then that is what we want to encourage."
This project has also been shortlisted for the 'Improving Care With Technology' category of the Health Service Journal Awards. The winner will be revealed at the awards ceremony on 30th November.
