Somerset ICB to go live with continuing healthcare platform

NHS Somerset Integrated Care Board (ICB) has announced plans to implement a digital platform to help ease the transition from children and young people’s to adult care.

A three-year contract was signed with IEG4 in July 2024, with the option to extend by one year, to deliver the continuing healthcare (CHC) solution.

CHC assessment is a process that helps determine if people with significant ongoing health needs are eligible for care and support through NHS CHC.

NHS Somerset aims to use the platform to streamline its All Age Continuing Care (AACC) process, which lays out the transition from children’s and young people’s CHC to adult CHC procedures, determining eligibility for funding via assessment. 

It will go live in October 2024, with the aim of enhancing the patient experience, improving clinical efficiency, and supporting better health outcomes.

Previously, NHS Somerset faced challenges with its platform that demanded extensive manual input, particularly with staff entering data into property fields.

The new system will meet NHS Somerset’s requirement for a platform that can be accessed by both staff and patients and referral forms which can be digitised and automated.

Lynette Emsley, associate director of CHC and care sector services, said: “Putting in place the new digital platform for CHC in Somerset will make it easier for individuals and their family members or representatives to be involved with the CHC assessment process and for patients and staff to readily access the information they need directly.

“We look forward to implementing this project with IEG4 and seeing the benefits it can bring to the patient experience of the CHC journey.”

The IEG4 CHC platform will include a portal where users can access immediate updates on progress, whilst accessing administrative and payment tools where needed, giving full end-to-end visibility of the complex process.

It integrates multiple processes into one digital system, improving workflows for staff and allowing the management of the entire assessment and referral process end-to-end whilst also managing case management for patients that are eligible for CHC.

Stephen Ferry, chief executive of IEG4, said: “We are excited to embark on this journey with NHS Somerset and address and overcome the challenges they are currently facing with our intuitive end-to-end platform”.

In February 2024, NHS Somerset ICB announced that Black Pear Software Ltd had been awarded a five plus two-year contract as the Somerset Integrated Digital e-Record+ (SIDeR+) technology partner.