messaging in an NHS general practice ©Kathie Applebee
Jun 17, 2015
Internal messaging in an NHS general practice
©Kathie Applebee
Tamar Valley Health 16,500 patients
2 main sites, both dispensing
Extended hours: evenings and Saturdays
12 partners, 55 employed staff, 12 attached staff
Majority work at either site
Paperlight, with Vision, DocMan, INR*
www.tamarvalley.org.uk
The Tamar Valley
photo by Stephen Fryer
Our messaging needs Urgent messages e.g. cancellation of a surgery
Communications to and from clinicians about patients
Communications amongst team members across both sites
Further messaging needs Confidential messages
Messages amongst groups e.g. partners, managers, nurses, dispensers, etc.
Low-key messages e.g. sandwich van
Distributing documents not suitable for the Intranet
Types of messages Medication queries to the pharmacist
Prescription queries to the dispensary
Referral queries to the secretaries
GP actions to the reception pools
Types of messages Nursing queries to GPs
Data entry requests to the data pool
Patient queries to the GPs and nurses
Rota changes to and from the reception manager
EnCompass Runs on a separate Linux server so independent of
Vision
Secure – password protected, and messages can also be sent as Private
Full audit trail – with a comprehensive search function
System set-up Universally accessible to network users at both sites
and via remote access
Users categorised by formal groups e.g. nurses, and by pick lists e.g. the lottery group
Vision integration All messages about patients are linked (not
attached) to their records
Also have separate website prescription ordering links to prescribing records
Could have check-in and scanning…
My favourites Messages can be forward dated as reminders
You can see who is in and where they are
When users not logged in, message tells you where they are and when back
Three types of messages Standard messages, optionally linked to patients’
Vision records
Pop-ups, used for quickies such as “Are you free?” or “Cake in the common room”
On-line chat, to share ideas
Keeping track Urgent messages are red, rest are green
Any sent message can advise when not opened, or be checked to see if opened
Messages can be stored in folders as action reminders
NHS e-mail Partnership and management issues because
remote access easier
Issues relating to external e-mail addresses e.g. PCT, suppliers, etc.
Vision ‘messages’ Appointments’ system used for:
Telephone consultations
Patients needing urgent consultations
Patients needing forward bookings
Visits (plus personal checks after certain times)
Advantages Robust – Linux server
Being separate from Vision enables us to use it for all data entry when Visionless
Easy to use so full compliance
Disadvantages Reliance! Couldn’t function without it
A bit clunky in places e.g. have to pick users off lists
Advice boxes appearing on screen
Cost, because it is runs on a separate server (we have on at each site)