Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS FT partners with Civica

A new partnership between Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust (GHC) and Civica means that patients can look forward to more responsive and flexible care while clinicians will have better joined-up access to records.

The five-year deal will see Civica digitise 300,000 paper health records and deliver a cloud-based Electronic Document Records Management Solution (EDRMS). The Cito EDRMS provides improved integration for single view of patient records, giving staff instant access to patient information. This includes the viewing of larger documents, photos and videos which are not accessible by the Electronic Patient Record (EPR) systems the trust use.

Ruth Wethey, head of clinical systems at the trust said: “Partnering with Civica on this new clinical system will result in better patient care across the trust. As we come out of the Covid-19 pandemic, mental health services are under intense pressure and Cito will give us better information at the point of care to offer the best treatment quickly and efficiently.”

The software offers improved viewing, searching and filtering capabilities to enable clinicians to quickly access the information they need, and deliver the best possible care to their patients. Its introduction will help create one shared system, accessible by all, fully integrating with the trust’s main EPR system, as well as Gloucestershire’s Joining Up Your Information shared care record.

Steve Brain, executive director, health and care, Civica added: “Our digital health platform will help clinicians to access both new and historical records really easily, freeing up time to spend focussed on patient care. We’re delighted to be supporting Gloucestershire with this crucial clinical systems programme, using smart cloud software to improve safety and efficiencies across the Trust.”

The partnership also marks an important step on the trust’s digital roadmap to becoming a cloud-first organisation. The Cito platform is to be deployed in the cloud so that it can support expansion, flexibility and improve security.

The deal comes just weeks after news that Civica is to deliver a five-year patient record transition programme with Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board. The company has also signed deals with both Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust and Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust this year.