Thursday 15 January 2015

Wales - A&E staff to have instant access to patient records as part of £3m investment

Frontline NHS staff in Wales’ emergency departments will have instant access to details of patient’s medical records as part of a £3m investment in a new national IT system for the Welsh NHS, Health and Social Services Minister Mark Drakeford and Finance Minister Jane Hutt announced today (Wednesday January 7).




The new national Emergency Department Clinical Information Management Scheme (EDCIMS) will help improve unscheduled care services by streamlining the flow of information about patients and reducing paperwork for healthcare professionals.


The new system will allow real-time information to be shared and will fully integrate with existing hospital and GP systems to support test requesting, results reporting and clinical correspondence. It will also ensure information follows the patient.


It will initially be introduced in Abertawe Bro Morgannwg and Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Boards, subject to business case approval, with all other Health Boards expected to adopt the national system.


The Ministers made the announcement during a visit to Neath Port Talbot Hospital, which will be introducing this new system in July 2015.


The £3m investment is part of a wider £14.9m package of new Welsh Government capital funding for the Welsh NHS. Details of further projects will be announced in due course.


Professor Drakeford said:


“The development of the Emergency Department Clinical Information Management Scheme is a major step forward, which will eventually allow information sharing across all emergency departments and minor injury units across Wales.


“It will support service re-design by allowing electronic patient information to be shared throughout NHS Wales, allowing improved integration and coordination of services.”


Finance Minister Jane Hutt said:


“Investing in our health service is a priority for this Government. That’s why we’ve increased our investment in our Welsh NHS by more than a half a billion pounds over two years.


“Effective capital investment is vital to delivering modern public services and we are using our capital budgets to support a healthier and more prosperous Wales.


“The additional investment we are announcing today will help to support reconfiguration of our health services and help to ensure that health services are sustainable, efficient and affordable in the long term, as well as to deliver an improved patient experience in a prudent healthcare service for Wales.”


Source Welsh Government  http://wales.gov.uk/newsroom/healthandsocialcare/2015/records/?lang=en






Wales - A&E staff to have instant access to patient records as part of £3m investment

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