Salford's Health Investment for Tomorrow
5 Projects that are changing the face of health services in Salford
Connecting for Health
1. Why does the NHS need Connecting for Health?
Better information leading to better health and care for every NHS patient is at the heart of Connecting for Health. The programme will revolutionise the way information is used within the health service, making it possible to deliver faster, safer and more convenient patient care. At the same time it gives patients the information they need to allow increased self-management, supporting a move toward health services provided closer to the patient.
In recognition of the crucial role information technology will play in supporting the redesign of local health services within SHIFT, within Salford Connecting for Health will be managed as a project within the SHIFT Programme. The work being done to redesign services
2. Who is supplying the new Connecting for Health IT systems?
Connecting for Health is thought to be the largest IT programme ever, anywhere in the world. To make the implementation of Connecting for Health manageable across every NHS organisation in England, the NHS is divided into several geographic areas (clusters). Each cluster then works with a separate group of IT companies all working to a single national standard.
Salford is part of the North West and West Midlands cluster whose Connecting for Health systems are being created and implemented by NHS Trust IT departments working in collaboration with the CSC Alliance, a consortium of companies experienced in large scale deployment of software and hardware systems. Membership of CSC Alliance includes CSC, iSoft, Hedra and SCC.
For more information about the CSC Alliance visit their website www.cscalliance.com
3. When will it all happen in Salford?
Work on Connecting for Health in Salford is already happening and both patients and staff have seen improvements since 2005.
4. Why is Connecting for Health important to SHIFT?
Providing health services closer to patients and our communities is at the heart of SHIFT. The modernisation of the NHS IT systems that Connecting for Health will bring will make this vision possible.
As things presently stand patients are treated by a variety of NHS staff and that treatment is recorded in any number of different IT systems. In addition, the continued need to store patient information on paper makes sharing of patient information across the NHS difficult and resource intensive. Without the ability to update and share patient information better, health services will be unable to move away from our current reliance on hospitals and health centres.