Southampton University live with Ascribe

Southampton University Hospital Trust NHS Trust has gone live with new patient administration system and electronic patient record modules supplied by Ascribe.

The trust went live simultaneously with inpatient, bed management, clinical record tracking, waiting lists, ward attenders, and operating theatre functionality. A clinical viewer was also integrated with previously installed clinical systems.

Ascribe’s PAS solution, eCaMIS was implemented in seven months. On ‘day one’, the system was recorded supporting 1,500 concurrent users.

To help prepare for the go-live, Southampton developed an e-learning package, and 3,500 members of staff were trained in advance.

A data migration programme was designed and completed on schedule, bringing additional patient records, waiting list entries, clinical record details and recent patient movements into the system.

While many of the modules that comprise the Ascribe solution are available as ‘off the shelf’ options, the Southampton implementation included two new modules – waiting list and ward attenders – specifically designed for the trust.

Existing modules, such as bed management and operating theatres were also enhanced. eCaMIS support paperless working particularly in theatres and where the clinical viewer is being adopted in the outpatients departments.

The migration to the new functionality, building on an existing framework, means that the project has enabled early benefits delivery in a number of areas assisting return on investment. Southampton has also already used the new system to complete its weekly reporting commitments.

The go-live builds upon previous work at the trust, such as full order communications, clinical document management, choose and book integration, more than 30 departmental clinical modules and e-discharge.

Adrian Byrne, the trust’s director of IM&T, said: “I am very pleased with how the staff have taken to using the eCaMIS system, it is a testament to the hard work and efforts undertaken by our trust’s staff and our close working relationship with Ascribe”.

Stephen Critchlow, chief executive of Ascribe said: “It has been a pleasure for all our staff to work with Southampton and see the real patient benefits that can come from installing tried and tested IT solutions integrated with clinically focused departmental systems on a modern platform.”

Critchlow added: “The UK is now in a position to have access to all the functionality needed to meet the needs of the modern NHS from local UK based suppliers.”