Electronic System Will Save Time For Patients

A £9m electronic information system will be rolled out across Northern Ireland’s health trusts by April 2013.

The single system will allow doctors to share information.

Health Minister Edwin Poots said the breakthrough would "streamline" processes and save time for all concerned.

Mr Poots visited the Ulster Hospital in Dundonald to see the effects of the pilot version of the Electronic Care Record (ECR).

He said: "This will benefit everyone in Northern Ireland. It will help cut down on time spent searching for appropriate records, allowing clinicians more time to spend treating patients."

The pilot, involving 9,000 patients at the Ulster Hospital, Belfast City Hospital and two General Practices, was successful and the business case for the ECR's rollout was approved last September.

Gillian Waterworth, a patient at the Ulster Hospital, said: "I have to see a few different doctors and now I don't need to run around getting results on paper from my GP or sitting for hours at clinics because my notes are still with the last doctor I saw."

Maeve Hully of the Patient and Client Council said this "sensible development" would stop patients having to "tell their story many times".

Orion Health will implement the system in a contract worth about £9million over the next seven years.

Mr Poots recognised that data sharing systems can cause people concerns, but said: "Confidentiality and security of patient information remain a key priority and the ECR will have stringent safeguards in place to ensure the continued protection of patient information."

(NE)