Designing a better system for patient information

The health service’s record of IT/digital change programmes is generally not a happy one. Millions/billions of pounds come and go, promises are made, expectations are raised, yet there remains clunky old hardware and stumbling software, with different systems siloed from talking to each other. Walk into a NHS admin office and you may even see a fax machine in the corner. You may even see someone using it. When different databases and systems exist in different NHS settings, clinicians and managers resort to picking up the phone to try to find out the information they need. They don’t always find it. Computer says no.

Yet, whisper it, there is change happening. And change happening for the better. Previously separate IT/digital systems are slowly being joined up. Information on patients, from primary care through to community care and hospital care, is being made accessible so clinicians can begin to see the ‘whole’ person. The jigsaw is being put together.

And not only that, health service records are being joined up with people’s social care records. Ambulance trusts are now able to see the data too. Even places such as pharmacies, care homes and hospices in certain areas are now beginning to be able to access this shared care record. It is a success story for the NHS and local authorities and deserves greater recognition.

Here at Touch Design, we have been involved in supporting the design and communications of shared care records in different parts of the country since the early days of implementation.

First, we supported Herts and West Essex CCG, then ICB, providing branding for the programme and designing and developing the care record website. Then through our collaborative work with Jonathan Cross, communications specialist at PWP, we have supported the design and production of materials such as templates, leaflets and posters for the Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland Care Record and the South Yorkshire Shared Care Record programme.

The shared care record programmes are creating huge opportunities in terms of improving care and making services more efficient. Patients will experience more seamless and safer care, while staff are reporting significant time savings from having to spend less time for searching for information about the people they are providing care for. Evaluation among social care teams has found that staff can save up to half-an-hour per client due to having instant access to all the person data they need.

We are proud to have played a small role in this developing success story and would happily extend this to other areas. If you run a shared care record programme and need design and communications support, then please get in This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Similarly, if you are involved in other aspects of health and care transformational programmes, and require external professional expertise in order to better communicate to staff and the public/patients, then let us know. We are your trusted in-house design and communications partner, ready to support localised campaigns, train your team, and we always This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to all requests with agility.