18th Jan 2013 – Ascribe is pleased to announce that Nottinghamshire Healthcare has become the first mental health trust in the Country to implement an electronic discharge summary that meets national standards, using the Ascribe eDischarge solution. This means that when a patient is discharged from inpatient mental health services, their information is now sent directly to their GP via an electronic system rather than via the post.

Fifteen GP surgeries in Nottingham are now piloting the system, receiving discharges from seven wards across the Trust. Ascribe eDischarge will deliver a number of benefits for the Trust that ultimately improve patient care. Using a standardised template that meets the national standards which the Trust helped develop during the summer of 2012, the information sent to GPs is now more consistent, legible and easier to understand. Received in a more timely manner, it also ensures that everyone involved in a patient’s care has access to the most up-to-date information to aid their recovery.

Simon Smith, Executive Director of Local Services at the Trust said: “I am delighted that we are the first mental health trust in the Country to use an electronic discharge summary. This is a very important initiative nationally and it is a key step forward in the Trust’s ambition to implement an expanded electronic patient record (EPR). This is an exciting time and I would like to thank all of our colleagues and the team at Ascribe who have made this project, which will serve to improve quality and enhance patient care, possible.”

Dr Ian Trimble, a GP from Sherwood Health Centre explains that an electronic summary ensures that: “Information about patients is communicated more swiftly and accurately which significantly improves patient care and safety. Information can be located and retrieved more quickly in document management systems than from bulky paper records. Ultimately there will be ecological benefits too in reducing the amount of paper printed, posted, scanned and then discarded.

It is particularly beneficial for patient care to have a clear summary after discharge from hospital which gives information about the patient’s management during admission, follow up plans and any changes to their medication.”

Prior to implementing the electronic summary, the Trust’s Health Informatics Service worked in collaboration with The Royal College of Psychiatrists, Royal College of General Practitioners and a selection of other NHS Trusts to develop the initiative by designing a joint template which captured all the information needed in a national electronic discharge summary. This work has been facilitated by the Department of Health Informatics Directorate’s Clinical Data Standards Assurance team.

Stephen Critchlow, CEO of Ascribe, commented: “We are pleased to see how successful the launch has been and look forward to working with Nottinghamshire Healthcare in implementing the full project.”