- 21 | 10 | 2024
Practical tips for practice managers
By Stacey Lightburn, Strategic Account Manager, Healthcare & Public sector
Digitising Lloyd George (LG) records is a no-brainer for GP practices. The NHS first rolled out electronic paper records (EPRs) almost twenty years ago. LG envelopes now contain only historic patient information and the NHS has an objective to digitise them all. Digitisation frees up space in GP surgeries – the average practice holds around 10,000 records, often in sought-after, ground floor space. Digital records are easier to find and share when patients move out of the area. Hard copy files are more likely to get lost or damaged.
But if it’s such a no-brainer, why haven’t all UK practices already gone through the process?
In our experience there are seven major worries preventing practice managers from pushing ahead with digitisation. With the right partner, these concerns are easily overcome.
1. No time to organise the project
Practice managers are constantly busy, making sure staff and patients have the best possible experience. How do you fit in a major project like digitisation of Lloyd George records?
We’ve worked with hundreds of healthcare bodies, including NHS trusts and GP providers, to digitise patient records. We know the potential pitfalls and how to make the process as stress-free as possible. We’ll work with you on a planning, packing, collection and management process that frees you up to get on with your day job.
Plus, once the records are digitised, you and your team get more time back in the day. No more wasted hours searching through filing cabinets for a missing record – the information will be at your fingertips in an instant.
2. Concerns about confidentiality
As a controller of special category data, it’s your responsibility to protect confidentiality: how can you be sure your files will be secure?
It’s important to choose a specialist in healthcare records management. We’re registered on a number of NHS procurement frameworks as a leading supplier of this service. We’re an NHS Interoperability Toolkit (ITK) level 3 accredited supplier, meaning we can securely transmit Patient Identifiable Data (PID) across the Health and Social Care Network (HSCN).
Our services are covered by the relevant ISO and British Standard certifications for quality management, information security, security screening and secure destruction of confidential material, as well as Cyber Essentials Plus.
All OASIS storage and scanning facilities are equipped with state-of-the art security measures to protect your confidential information.
3. Difficulties choosing a provider
Choosing a storage and scanning partner for medical records is a big decision. How do you know you’re making the right choice?
Some practices procure services through framework agreements that make it easy to select a specialist healthcare records management provider like OASIS.
Here at OASIS, most of our GP clients come through referrals. As a practice manager planning a digitisation programme, asking peers for recommendations is always a good source of information. Getting real life intelligence gives you confidence that your prospective scanning partner is professional, easy to work with, and can deliver on their promises.
4. Worrying about losing records
Once the Lloyd George envelopes are out of your sight, how can you be sure they won’t go astray?
You’ll need to work with a provider who is set up to support healthcare organisations, and who has a rigorous tracking system in place. When we collect records from GP surgeries, we index every file and barcode the boxes they’re packed in. That means you’ll have a full audit of what you hold and the records can be pinpointed no matter where they are in the process.
Our specially trained, security-vetted staff use industry-leading technology to accurately scan your patient records. We make sure digital files are the correct resolution and file format so no information is lost.
When it comes to shredding the original hard copies, we never destroy files without written authorisation from an approved person on your team. Our process is auditable and validated with a certificate of destruction.
5. Additional strain on practice staff
NHS staff are already under pressure. How will your team cope with the disruption from launching a digitisation programme?
You’ll need a tailored plan that fits with the resource you have available. We design processes that work for our different GP practice clients. Some want to use internal resource for tasks like packing; some want to outsource everything. We’ll arrange pick-ups and coordinate a schedule that minimises day-to-day disruption.
Once the project is underway, far from disrupting your staff, digitised files will make their lives easier. Time that was wasted searching through filing cabinets and packaging up LG records to send on when patients move away can be spent on other, more useful activities.
We format scanned records for easy integration into your Electronic Health Record (EHR) system, making the whole process of accessing patient information quicker. Information can be shared with patients’ new doctors via the GP2GP transfer system.
Converting space that was used to store files into a new consulting room could also increase the number of available appointments, making life less stressful for staff and improving patient experience.
6. Accessing records for urgent cases
Sometimes practice staff need to check a patient’s past treatment, diagnoses or allergies. How will you get hold of information urgently if you no longer have the Lloyd George envelopes on site?
Once your Lloyd George records have been scanned, they can be integrated into your EHR system for instant access. But even during the collection and pre-scanning period, your team can get hold of information in under 4 hours with an emergency retrieval request. Our OASIS-branded fleet of vehicles are GPS tracked and all boxes are barcoded so we can easily locate the relevant files. Our security-vetted staff will retrieve and scan the medical record you need, making it accessible digitally by healthcare professionals at your practice.
7. Cost concerns
Finding budget is never easy for NHS organisations. How will you fund your medical records digitisation programme?
We’re used to working with public sector and healthcare organisations and design our programmes to be as lean as possible. We can also advise on building a business case, whether you’re planning on paying for the project locally or applying for central funding.
Creating the business case could be more straightforward than you think. Storage space can be converted into consulting rooms, for additional GPs or nurse practitioners. Or reclaimed rooms could be adapted for hire by health, wellbeing and community services. Some practices save money by renting smaller premises once their paper Lloyd George records have been removed.
Ongoing efficiencies can also be found, with staff freed up to do more strategic work and complete tasks more quickly, without being bogged down by manual filing processes. And using our scan on demand service removes the need for costly (and non-eco-friendly) photocopying of notes.
Ready to reap the rewards of Lloyd George digitisation?
Planning a medical records digitisation project can feel overwhelming. But it really needn’t be. If you’re struggling with any of these seven common concerns, talk to us. We work with 650 healthcare clients, manage more than 5 million healthcare records and scan more than 1,000 patient records per day.
With 1,700 team members, we’re large enough to generate cost-efficiencies, but small enough to be flexible on price for our services, which focus 100% on information management. We don’t outsource any part of the process to a third party, providing peace of mind that your confidential records will be managed within an unbroken chain of custody.
We’d love to help you reclaim rooms in your practice, save time for your team, and speed up access to historic patient data.
Contact us at info@oasisgroup.com to arrange a chat about how we can help.
