Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust selects HP to build online portal

'The more information we have, the better the quality of care and treatment we can offer,' says medical director Dr David Throssell

Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has selected HP Enterprise Services UK as the primary contractor for a clinical project designed to improve patient care and provide better access to healthcare records.

The scheme will see HP helping to improve and integrate patient care, working alongside eHealth software company Orion Health and single sign-on specialist Imprivata, to provide medical staff with real-time access to health records.

If successful, the scheme will give doctors and nurses quick and secure access to medical records, which should enable them to spend more time with patients.

"We need to have a complete picture of each patient when we are providing their care. This new portal will act as an umbrella across a number of our current computer systems, meaning hospital and community health staff will only have to log in once to view the different patient information systems, on one screen," said Dr David Throssell, medical director at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.

Dr Throssell said the deal will "enable a single, clinical view of every patient" and create a "more joined up working between community, acute and primary care professionals".

"The more information we have, the better the quality of care and treatment we can offer," he said. "The clinical portal will give us the ability to access key patient information, wherever we are and with one click of a button."

Dr Throssell said the project aims to enable staff to access important data as and when they need it, no matter where they are.

"Drug information, diagnosis results and other important information about the patient's history will be instantly available across different systems, through this new clinical portal. This will vastly improve the overall patient experience within the hospital and when visiting our satellite clinics," he said.

Dr Throssell also believes the HP contract will enable Sheffield Teaching Hospitals to better communicate with other healthcare Trusts.

"The clinical portal will give us the technology to talk to other NHS organisations, sharing information and getting expert advice. As the NHS advances, other hospitals which have the same technology will be able to join up with us," he said.

"When a patient is admitted to another NHS organisation or when they are visited by their GP, we will soon be able to share vital information with their healthcare provider. This can only be a good thing for our patients," Dr Throssell concluded.

The finances behind the deal have not been disclosed.