Digital forms for emergency care launched in the Midlands

Healthcare providers across Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent have rolled out digital forms to enable patients to receive personalised clinical care in emergency situations.

Recommended Summary Plan for Emergency Care and Treatment (ReSPECT) forms  have been developed by population health and care record firm Graphnet Health and are accredited by the Resuscitation Council.

The forms capture recommendations for clinical care in a future emergency are created through conversations with a patient, their family and care professionals, to be used if they do not have capacity to make or express choices.

These include what is important to the patient and what is realistic in terms of their care and treatment, including clinical advice on whether cardiopulmonary resuscitation should be attempted in the event of cardiac arrest.

Dr Zia Din, joint chief clinical information officer and ReSPECT lead for the Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent Integrated Care System (ICS), said: “The ReSPECT document is for anyone but will have increasing relevance for people who have complex health needs, people who are likely to be nearing the end of their lives, and people who are at risk of sudden deterioration or cardiac arrest.

“Having that information available digitally, via the shared care record, to everyone involved in an individual’s care means no time is wasted in the event of an emergency.

“Whether it’s a paramedic attending to a patient or a doctor in an emergency department, they provide clarity around what the patient’s wishes are and what the clinical recommendation is for certain treatments and procedures”.

University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust (UHNM), St Giles Hospice and five GP practices have had the capability to create and edit the ReSPECT forms since June 2024, while other healthcare providers in the region have view-only access.

The ReSPECT forms can be viewed on electronic patient records via One Health and Care, the NHS shared care record for Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent, with patients also receiving a paper copy.

Ian Denley, chief executive of Graphnet Health, said that the firm worked closely with the Resuscitation Council to create a digitised version of the paper-based ReSPECT form.

“Having a digital plan that is stored and accessed via the shared care record means health and social care professionals can make better, faster and more informed decisions about a person’s emergency care.

“The individual’s preferences are right there at their fingertips when they need them,” Denley said.

Meanwhile, in April 2024, Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent ICS incorporated remote monitoring capabilities from Docobo to the One Health and Care platform, allowing clinicians to access data from remotely monitored patients.