SystmOne Saves One Minute Per Consultation

Lord Street Surgery, Calderdale PCT

In December 2008, the first practice in Calderdale PCT moved from the EMIS PCS Hosted system to  SystmOne. Dr Kumar, GP at Lord Street Surgery, explains what led the practice to change systems: "The system we were using was too slow and the service level from the supplier was poor. The system would freeze and crash on a weekly basis and nothing was done despite our persistent complaints. It is obviously very frustrating when the system crashes when you are with a patient.

Staff at Lord Street Surgery, with Lisa Hall (right) from Calderdale PCT

"As a locum in Bradford, I had worked with most clinical systems and found SystmOne very easy to use as lots of information is available on the screen at one time. So we approached the PCT to ask if we could have a closer look at it."

Practice Manager, Shana Begum, tells us how the rest of the team first reacted to SystmOne: "We looked at SystmOne on Dr Kumar's recommendation because we were desperate to change systems. To begin with, it was quite a shock as it looked really busy compared to what we were used to, but the demonstrator was excellent and showed us how to find our way around it. We didn't look at any alternatives and we're pleased with SystmOne - it is a very efficient system. We still need more practice but that's not a problem, we're happy that the more we use SystmOne, the better we'll get at it!"

TPP worked with CSC, Calderdale PCT and the practice to ensure that the data migration to SystmOne was as smooth as possible. Dr Kumar says, "The deployment was fine. It went smoothly with only minor problems that were quickly resolved."

"I'd been through a data migration before," says Shana, "but this time it was different because the practice was far more involved. TPP have been a great help the whole way through. Since we went live, we've called the helpdesk a couple of times with minor queries and had them resolved there and then."

Shana continues, "Calderdale PCT has been really helpful so we'd like to thank them for their support. I'd also like to thank the staff for keeping the service going while changing systems - that was a job well done. And finally, thanks to the patients for being patient!"

Practice staff have now been using SystmOne for three months and are seeing the benefits that they had hoped for. Dr Kumar says, "SystmOne's performance is much better than our old system. I can say with certainty that I save one minute per consultation using SystmOne. That's a big saving. It's better for the patients and it's better for me because it gives me more time to improve in other areas and to look at other things."

Dr Kumar continues, "I like the fact that with SystmOne all the information is there on one screen - you don't have to meddle with things to find what you need. Being able to pull up several patient records at one time is also a big advantage."

Shana adds, "SystmOne is much better for QOF than our old system as the reporting is so much better. Finding your 'End of Year' missing patients is easy - the information is just a click away because the system does that bit of work for you!"

Despite being the first GP practice in the PCT to be using SystmOne, Dr Kumar has already seen examples of shared care: "Some community services in Calderdale are using SystmOne and we've seen information entered by them in the patient record. It's good - it means less paperwork and fewer phone calls. More information is available straightaway without having to wait."

As more practices in the area move to SystmOne, the potential for electronic record transfer becomes greater, benefiting both the patient and the practice as Dr Kumar explains: "I'm looking forward to receiving GP to GP transfers from other SystmOne practices. It would mean the record would be available at first consultation and it would be easier to achieve the QOF Records 19 target. At the moment, the paper notes are summarised by the Practice Nurse when she's free. If the notes came through directly to SystmOne, I could do it myself, which would be much easier and quicker."

Being the first practice in the PCT to move to SystmOne puts Lord Street in the spotlight with other practices in the area keeping an eye on their progress. The second practice, who visited Lord Street to see how SystmOne works with appointments and scanning, went live in March. So, what advice do Lord Street staff have for other practices?

Shana says, "We've benefited from moving to SystmOne, so I'd tell other practices thinking about looking at SystmOne to go for it! Different practices have different concerns - ours was that our previous system crashed and we're happy now because SystmOne doesn't."

Lisa Hall, SystmOne Project Manager for Calderdale PCT, says, "Since Lord Street Surgery went live, there has been more interest from other practices in the area. We currently have several community services using SystmOne with School Nurses and Health Visitors due to start using it soon. As a PCT, we're trying to pull both the GP and Community projects together to ensure the maximum benefit for all involved.

"Going through a data migration opens your eyes to existing processes," says Lisa. "SystmOne has revealed several things at Lord Street that have allowed them to cut back on duplication. If there are things you need to improve on in terms of patient care and time management, SystmOne could help you. For example, at Lord Street, SystmOne has improved efficiency and performance levels, which in turn has allowed the practice to be able to advertise for and take on new patients. So I'd say SystmOne is worth having a look at. "