Somerset ICB integrates shared care record with Dorset GP data

Clinicians at Yeovil Hospital are now able to access Dorset patients’ GP data through Somerset’s shared care record following a data-sharing integration.

Around 30% of the hospital’s patients are from Dorset, but clinicians were not able to easily access their GP records owing to Dorset operating under a different Integrated Care System (ICS) with a separate shared care record system. 

To address this issue, in July 2024 the Somerset Integrated Digital e-Record (SIDeR+) was connected with TPP’s SystmOne primary care records in Dorset, so that Dorset patients’ GP data can be accessed through the SIDeR+ service.

NHS Somerset Integrated Care Board (ICB) and technology partner Black Pear Software worked together to implement the integration between SIDeR+ and SystmOne.

Dr Bilal Ahmed, emergency department consultant at Yeovil Hospital and associate chief clinical information officer at Somerset NHS Foundation Trust, said: “Having a unified data-sharing system across ICS borders, beyond Somerset, enables quicker and more efficient emergency patient care, reducing risk while elevating the quality-of-care delivery”.

The integration also allows Yeovil Hospital clinicians to create and share care plans from SIDeR+ with GP practices in Dorset, improving care coordination.

David Jehring, chief executive at Black Pear, said: “As a technology partner, we’re proud to have delivered a solution that breaks down the barriers between care systems.

“By enabling real-time, seamless access to patient data across borders, we’re not just improving the flow of information—we’re enhancing the quality of care for thousands of patients”.

NHS Somerset ICB announced in February 2024 that Black Pear had been awarded a five plus two-year contract as the SIDeR+ technology partner. 

The ICB and Black Pear plan to extend the SIDeR+ service by incorporating more healthcare organisations near Somerset’s borders as part of a development roadmap.

They have already worked with University Hospitals Bristol and Weston, Dorothy House Hospice, Weston Hospicecare and Dorset County Hospital, to enable staff to use SIDeR+ when treating patients from Somerset.

According to NHS Somerset ICB, the SIDeR+ system is currently accessed more than 35,000 times each month by more than 2,600 frontline healthcare staff. This figure is expected to grow as additional organisations are onboarded.

The overall aim is to all patients benefit from the same high standards of care when treated in Somerset, regardless of where they live.

In December 2023, the Better Meds electronic prescribing and medication administration solution was integrated with SIDeR+, allowing hospital records to automatically be populated with medication information from GP and other care provider records.

Meanwhile, in September 2024, NHS Somerset ICB announced plans to implement a digital platform to help determine if people with ongoing health needs are eligible for support through the NHS continuing healthcare system.