What is EMIS?

Why the switch to EMIS?

All the GPs in the areas we cover are already on EMIS – so the move made sense.

One of the main aspects of EMIS we’re interested in is the Shared Care record. It means that, for any patient who’s been referred to or registered with us, we can access their records with their GP – and their GP can access the relevant records with us.

Our main reason for adopting EMIS now is that, before, all the GPs we work with were on different types of software. Now they’re all on EMIS, it makes sense for us to be, too. We could’ve made the switch earlier, but it wouldn’t have had the same benefits as it does now.

What was it like before?

Before EMIS, we’d have to contact a GP via email or phone to access a copy of the patient’s medical records. Depending on how busy the GP was and on the request’s urgency, this process could take anywhere from half an hour to four days. This would then lead to delays in our referral process, and in us seeing patients.

What are the benefits of having instant access to patient records?

Now we’re on EMIS, when we get a referral, we can straight away understand when a patient last spoke to their GP. We can look at what medication they’ve been on, and any allergies they have. It’s a lot quicker, a lot safer; it’s more connected.

Is EMIS only for hospices?

No – it was made primarily for GP surgeries, before it was pushed out to a wider audience. That doesn’t mean it’s a ‘one size fits all’ sort of solution, though. You get a base piece of software, and training on how to use it – all its different features and capabilities – then you build the system that’s most relevant to your service.

How widely is EMIS used by similar service providers in the local community?

Before we adopted EMIS, there were two other hospices in Kent – that I know of – using it.

What challenges did you encounter implementing EMIS?

Our first challenge was to meet with staff and teams to understand what a typical patient referral process looked like, from beginning to end. What different forms and assessments were required? Who would a patient or family member speak to at each stage of the journey? What information would our teams need at each stage?

Then, we used that information to build out the software. But because that build was so long, the process ended up changing halfway through! We had to constantly update it.

We’ve also been having weekly – now fortnightly – catch-ups to iron out the software’s kinks and discuss progress regularly at Clinical Leadership Team meetings. It’s a continual process of making sure the software is up to date – and that it works as well as possible for our staff and services.

How is the team responding to EMIS so far?

Originally, it was quite a shock! We’d had the previous software for a long time. But they’ve taken to it extremely quickly – and we’re already hearing about how it’s boosting efficiency.

I’ve also heard from the admin team (who handle referrals and send them to nurses) that their processes are much quicker; they’re now as paperless as possible, too.

It’s been received very well.

Can you give an example of how it’s helping?

Certainly. Our team recommended to one of our community-based patients that he request a change in medication from his GP. But when he did – and, two days later, still hadn’t heard from his GP – he became anxious and didn’t know what was going on.

So he called ellenor. In the past, our nurse would’ve had to call the GP, find out what was happening, and then call the patient back – which all takes time.

But now, with EMIS, the nurse was able to check the records, and see instantly that the medicine had already been sent to the pharmacy. It gave the patient peace of mind – and prevented a long, nerve-ridden wait on the phone to the GP.

Are there any concerns around data security and privacy?

No – we’re only available to view the GP’s records because they’ve signed an agreement with us, and vice versa. Plus, EMIS only works for patients that have been registered with us. If I tried to search for my own record, for instance, the system would flag it – because I’m not a patient here at ellenor.

Also, when a patient is first referred to us, part of that referral involves them signing a consent form to the sharing of information between health professionals. If a patient hasn’t consented, we don’t have access to that data.

What opportunities are there to build on EMIS?

One is that, right now, paramedics don’t have access to the system – but there is a portal called the Kent and Medway Care Record (KMCR), which we’re in discussion to partake in. That would mean everyone signed up (local paramedics included) could access all the relevant data about the patient involved.

We’re not quite at that stage yet – the KMCR isn’t built into EMIS – but we’re going through the system requirements to see what’s possible going forward. 

Another capability EMIS has, but that we’re still working on setting up, is the ability for us to receive referrals directly from the GP. This will reduce the load on our admin teams even more – and help us make the patient referral process even more simple and seamless.

Georgia Cooke is ellenor’s Performance and Data Analyst.

To find out more about EMIS, and how it’s already helping ellenor streamline key patient referral and data-sharing processes, get in touch with her at georgia.cooke@ellenor.org. Or read more about the software’s features and benefits on EMIS Health’s website.