PRSB officially launches vendor-backed scheme to promote standards

The Professional Record Standards Body (PRSB) has officially launched a scheme to help support the adoption and implementation of standards in healthcare.

The Standards Partnership Scheme aims to help digital technology software suppliers to implement standards within their product that will ensure health and care professionals can deliver the integrated care that’s needed.

With more people using a range of health services, the PRSB believe standardised records are essential for ensuring that information can be securely saved and shared between those who need access to it, which is one of the driving forces behind the partnership scheme.

A pilot phase of the scheme was introduced in February 2021 and has now been fully launched, attracting a number of health and care suppliers such as Cerner, Orion Health, RIVIAM, IMS Maxims and Nourish Care among others.

Lorraine Foley, the CEO of the PRSB, said: “The overall goal of the Standards Partnership Scheme is to develop collaborative working and great relationships with partners, working with them on the development of standards, and offering the chance to share networks and have a voice which can be influential.

“We’re also providing an extensive programme of workshops and learning opportunities for our partners. Feedback from our first wave of partners has been extremely positive and encouraging. We are listening to our partners to help shape future work and activities.”

There are two ways suppliers can get involved with the scheme – they can join as partners, where they have access to help and support for implementing standards, or they can join as a quality partner, where the supplier has been assessed by PRSB and has been found to be conformant to one or more of the standards.

Currently, the PRSB develops its standards with health and care professionals, patients, carers and suppliers.

As the Standards Partnership Scheme develops and more suppliers are encouraged to join, the PRSB hopes it will offer more opportunities for suppliers to be involved in creating these standards, as well as feeding back on improvement opportunities or areas of future interest, adopting best practice, and improving efficiency and cost effectiveness.

The overall aim is to create an environment where ideas can be shared as well as experiences and best practice which means the old, siloed ways of working that exist within health and care will be broken down. This not only helps suppliers to succeed with their clients; it also supports a future where improved, more personalised health and care is delivered for the benefit of people and their families.