Digital Hospital: Transforming our technology to support safer patient care

Through our Digital Hospital Programme we aspire to be at the forefront of digital innovation using technology to support our teams in delivering world-class care to our patients and the wider population.  This is an ambitious goal but one that will improve the efficiency and co-ordination of care and support people in managing their health and wellbeing.

Our programme has and continues to review all our current processes, tasks and practices to establish what is possible in a technology-enabled environment and through the use of the most modern technology available we will deliver outstanding healthcare, and improve how we record, store and access patient information to enable us to provide more efficient, safer patient care.  

In November 2020 we extended the implementation of our integrated electronic system know as Electronic Patient Record (EPR) to include Maternity and Theatres, replacing older systems that had been in use in these departments. In January 2021 this will be further extended to include Anaesthetics. Our EPR system allows us to hold your records securely and electronically and allows clinicians to see your medical history and ongoing care requirements. Information can then easily be shared between health professionals involved in your care using the Connected Care system across the region.

What does this mean to me?
Whether you receive care as an inpatient, outpatient or in an emergency, all information relating to your care and treatment, including that collected by monitoring devices e.g. ECG machines, will be entered via computers, directly into your electronic patient record.  This will mean that other doctors and nurses who need to know about your care will be able to access up-to-date information via computers, wherever they see you, without the need for you to repeat your details or the need to wait for paper medical records. 

Changes you might notice

Inpatients

• no more paper records at the end of your bed
• monitoring devices e.g. ECG machines, maternity foetal monitors, will directly send data to your records  
• doctors and nurses will be entering information about your care into a computer
• doctors and nurses will be finding out about your care through you electronic patient record via a computer

Outpatients

• there will be no paper records at your appointment
• doctors and nurses will be entering information about your care into a computer during your appointment
• doctors and nurses will be finding out about the care you have received through your electronic patient record via a computer

Emergency care

• doctors and nurses will be entering information about your care into a computer during your appointment
• monitoring devices e.g. ECG machines, will directly send data to your records 
• doctors and nurses will be finding out about the care you have received through your electronic patient record via a computer

How will you keep my information safe?

We are committed to ensuring your health records are kept safe and handled according to data protection legislation. Information on how we protect your data can be found in our Privacy Policy on the Trust website www.royalberkshire.nhs.uk