Wales approves new NHS patient administration system

The Welsh Assembly has approved the funding

The Welsh government has approved a plan to give health workers a central view of patient information.

Healthcare trusts in Wales currently have separate systems to deal with information such as test results, referrals and administration details.

The project – known as the Welsh Clinical Portal - will see a secure system draw patient information from a variety of legacy systems and databases across the Welsh health service.

It is backed by £2.5m from the Welsh Assembly Government, and has undergone a pilot phase at a number of hospitals in Wales. Healthcare professionals at these sites are now able to request tests and view results electronically.

Health minister Edwina Hart, who approved the funding, said: "Currently healthcare staff have to use many different computer systems throughout the day to be able to see the information they need. This can take a lot of time and may not provide the information that is needed to best treat patients."

Doctors and nurses will be given a personalised workspace with access to their own patient lists, and will be able to log on at terminals anywhere in a hospital and view patient records and results.

Wales is also introducing My Health Online, to provide patients with electronic access to their records, and Individual Health Records, a limited set of data drawn from GP systems for emergency use, similar to Scotland's Emergency Care Summary. Individual Health Records is already in use in Gwent.