Final countdown to digital revolution in patient care

Staff across the Northern Health and Social Care Trust are in the final stages of preparing to revolutionise patient care.

On Thursday 7 November, the Northern Trust will become the third HSC Trust in Northern Ireland to go live with encompass – creating a single, digital, integrated healthcare record for every citizen.

Northern Trust Chief Executive Jennifer Welsh said: “This is a huge moment for our Trust and our wider community; encompass will transform how we deliver services. It will give staff and clinicians instant access to a patient’s care information, reducing time spent chasing records and completing paperwork.

Training

“Preparing for change of this scale has been a mammoth task, and I want to pay tribute to everyone across our Trust for the huge effort that has gone into planning and training over the last number of months,” Ms Welsh added.

“It has been a real Team North effort and everyone is working extremely hard to ensure the transition to this new way of working is as successful and seamless as possible for our staff, patients and wider community.”

Patients and service users will also have the option of accessing their own records, via the secure patient portal and mobile app ‘My Care’.

Neil Martin, Director of Strategic Planning, Performance and ICT with the Trust, said: “Staff have been working extremely hard to prepare for this major digital transformation in health and social care, with months of planning and training across the entire Trust.

“We also have the support and learning of our regional colleagues who have been instrumental in our planning and preparation for go-live.

“Inevitably, as with any change, we are likely to experience some disruption while teams adapt to the new system, but we are committed to mitigating any impact on our patients and service users during the go-live period, and we would appeal for the public’s patience and understanding over the coming days and weeks.”

Patient records

The Trust is also advising members of the public to expect more healthcare workers to be using mobile phones and devices when they are receiving care or attending appointments. This is how staff will access patient records once the encompass system is introduced on 7 November 2024.

Jennifer Welsh added: “It’s important to say that while how we work may be changing, the care we deliver will not.

“We remain committed to our vision of providing compassionate care with our community, in our community, and we believe encompass will support us in that aim, delivering huge benefits for our patients and service users.”

For more information, including a list of Frequently Asked Questions, visit the Trust’s website: https://www.northerntrust.hscni.net/encompass-is-coming-to-the-northern-trust/

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

30th October 2024