Logica chosen for Isle of Wight EPR

NHS Isle of Wight has chosen Logica to build its first electronic patient record, using a combined integration and portal approach.

The organisation, which is responsible for both commissioning and providing care on the island, will deploy e-Care Logic to collate information from ten different IT systems.

The first phase will see e-Care Logic introduced to a number of departments at St Mary’s Hospital in Newport. Deployment has just begun in the medical assessment unit, and pathology, A&E and radiology will follow.

The system will also be used by the island’s ambulance service, with a go-live date set for the end of summer.

The full roll-out will include integration with the INPS Vision 360 system, which is already being used to share summary information from GP records with the island’s walk-in centre, out-of-hours service and A&E department.

The eCareLogic system has already been installed by Logica at University College London Hospitals NHS Trust.

NHS Isle of Wight deputy director of information management and technology, Paul Dubery, told eHealth Insider the UCLH pedigree was a key factor in its decision to work with Logica.

“At UCLH it has been driven by clinicians completely, and that’s key for me – it’s not about IT geeks building something. It’s about clinicians being involved in building what they want.”

NHS Isle of Wight began tendering for the project 18 months ago. Dubery said IT had not been a priority for health services on the island, but the primary care trust is now looking to improve its estate.

“Like so many organisations historically, IT was lacking in maturity, and probably in part underinvested. It’s taken time and this is complex stuff. But as an organisation we are just starting to get a level of maturity [in IT].”

Logica director of central government and health, Chris George, said that by adopting an integration and portal approach NHS Isle of Wight could retain its existing systems and make more of them.

“It’s likely to extend the life of their existing systems, as we’ve been able to rework what they already have. It can save a major amount of capital spending.”

Dubery also said the organisation had been keen to retain its departmental systems “which all serve a purpose” but to provide links between them.

The system will also give clinicians a clearer view of capacity, which is important given the trust’s isolation from mainland health services.

“We’ve got a population of 140,000, and that will double over summer. One key area will be bed management – we don’t currently have an electric view of bed state. Management of patients will be a lot easier.”

NHS Isle of Wight is hoping that the system will reduce the length of hospital stays on the island, and cut inefficient double testing.

“Previously a patient came in, the doctor wanted to order a test but they didn’t know if it had already been done, so they’d order it again,” Dubery explained, adding that this should happen less in the future.

The trust also hopes this changes will reduce operating costs. A team of Logica staff is on the ground teaching clinical staff how to use the new system.

Logica senior consultant Paul Goss said: “One of the interesting things is that we can configure the system and have it up and running without actually having to go live.”