UK. Proposals for use of Information and Communications Technology in health and social care

Citation

(2002), "UK. Proposals for use of Information and Communications Technology in health and social care", International Journal of Health Care Quality Assurance, Vol. 15 No. 7. https://doi.org/10.1108/ijhcqa.2002.06215gab.004

UK. Proposals for use of Information and Communications Technology in health and social care

UK

Proposals for use of Information and Communications Technology in health and social care

Keywords: ICT, Northern Ireland Health Minister, HPSS, Electronic communications

Proposals to modernise health and social care through widespread use of Information and Communications Technologies were issued for consultation in July by Northern Ireland Health, Social Services and Public Safety Minister, Bairbre de Brún. The proposals, set out in a new Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Strategy for Health and Social Services, are aimed at introducing fully ICT-enabled health and social care services as outlined in the ICT Strategy Vision that was published last year.

The Strategy sets out a programme to implement the vision and fully ICT-enable health and social care services. The focus is on improving the care experience for service users and HPSS staff through supporting HPSS professionals involved directly in care and enabling new models of care delivery. It has two major interlocking themes, Care Records and Care Communications. When the programme has been implemented, the service would be totally familiar with, and would depend on, data held in electronic care records. Care data would be routinely exchanged electronically, not on paper. The Strategy is consistent with current approaches in England, Wales, Scotland and the Republic of Ireland. The detail is specific to the HPSS and aims to exploit the relatively small scale of the service and the opportunities offered by its history of working together and adopting common ICT solutions.

The focus of the Strategy is on using ICT in new ways to improve the experience of health and social care for those receiving and delivering care. Existing ICT services will also be sustained and modernised. The key elements of the proposals are:

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  Electronic care communications – replacing paper-based communications, and delivering faster referrals, results, appointments and decisions about care. Electronic communication will also make it possible to introduce new ways of working that better meet the needs of service users and care professionals.

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  Electronic care records – helping to promote multi-professional care and introduce new ways of delivering care by moving away from the dependence on paper records. Electronic care records will open up possibilities to improve quality of care by allowing care professionals to share access to key care data.

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  Electronic information – using electronic services to support improvements in quality of care and equality of care by providing relevant information and advice on best practice and modern care guidance both for care professionals and for the public.

Looking forward to how these developments would affect health and personal services in the future, the Minister concluded:

"When implemented, these proposals will bring the benefits of e-business right to the heart of health and social care where easy access to essential information and effective communications can make a real difference."

The Information and Technology Strategy Vision for the Health and Personal Social Services is available on the DHSSPS Web site at: http://www.dhsspsni.gov.uk/publications/archived/2001/vision.pdf