WIREDGOV

Significant investment has been made in delivering an integrated digital healthcare service, which puts the needs of patients at the centre of service delivery.

£4.7m has been invested in creating the Individual Health Record (IHR) system – which will allow healthcare professionals working in local Out of Hours Services to see a summary of a patients GP record.

Mrs Hart said the development of the IHR has been commended by international experts from as far afield as Canada, the USA, continental Europe and New Zealand, who have described the achievements in Wales as “a model for how to run a successful national ICT Programme”.

The Welsh Assembly Government has also:

• established ‘My Health Online’ – which will, by later this year, allow patients to access a bi-lingual website to book appointments with their GP practice or to request repeat prescriptions;
• invested £12.1 million to introduce a new, single Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS), to be rolled out later this year, will reduce the number of duplicated tests and mean that, no matter where a patient receives care, the results of tests will be readily available.This will improve pathology services for patients and clinical staff.
• invested £2.5m for the first phase of the Welsh Clinical Portal.

The Welsh Assembly Government has also invested in developing world-class medical technologies, including robotic pharmacies, MRI and CT scanners. £16.5m has been invested in a new Positron Emission Tomography (PET) Imaging Centre at the University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff, which offers Welsh patients and University researchers a high-resolution scanning facility which can track cancers and other tissue in incredible detail, meaning diseases can potentially be detected at an earlier stage.

Mrs Hart said:

“Information is very much the nervous system of the NHS and in the future, health and care services will maximise the use of modern, digital technology.

“The investment we have made during the lifetime of this government in healthcare ICT is helping to maintain high quality care for patients and reducing harm, waste and variation. We are maintaining our investment in the health service in cash terms over the next three years – despite the impact of the UK Government’s cuts to the Welsh budget.

“In the digital age, people increasingly expect their public services to be convenient and available online. The better use of digital technology is an effective way of improving the safety and the quality of care the NHS in Wales provides.

“We are committed to delivering an all-Wales integrated healthcare service – a service that meets the needs of our citizens, that is not led by an internal market but is based on providing best quality care for all citizens in our urban, valley and rural communities.

“As a Government, we have pledged that the NHS will continue to be a priority. Through the use of this new technology, and reducing duplication, we will save money and improve patient care which is essential in this challenging financial climate.”

The Welsh Assembly Government’s Chief Information Officer for Health and Social Services, Dr. Gwyn Thomas said:

“The Welsh Assembly Government’s ‘made in Wales’ approach to delivering digital healthcare has been achieved by taking pragmatic, incremental steps to linking existing and new systems together to develop an all-Wales ICT infrastructure . We have not taken a ‘rip and replace’ approach but have combined the best internal NHS systems with the best commercial systems. Our main aim is to make sure that ICT supports staff and patients in the delivery of healthcare services.

“We designed the systems after listening to a variety of different users, taking on board their various requirements. This design work has been supported by rigorous safety testing, national standards, strong leadership and project management.

“This has meant that we have delivered what users want and achieved better Value for Money for the Welsh pound.”

The Chairman of the BMA’s General Practitioners Committee for Wales, Dr. David Bailey said:

“In general the IT strategy in Wales - particularly with the Individual Health Record, Welsh Clinical Portal and Laboratory Information Management System when it comes on stream - has been welcomed by GPs and has put Wales in the vanguard of IT developments whilst maintaining a proper regard for patient confidentiality.

“My Health Online also has the potential to improve services, particularly through repeat prescriptions, although online appointments are likely to remain only a small part of overall GP appointment services in order not to disadvantage patients who cannot readily use online services.”