01.03.11
Electronic system speeds up DNF delivery
Macclesfield district general hospital has delivered Discharge Notification Forms to GP practices within the 24-hour target 84% of the time following the implementation of a new system.
Following the installation of an electronic link-up, the system can automatically generate a form for delivery direct to the surgeries, improving speed of delivery and the quality of clinical updates.
The trust created a template with pre-agreed content for all patient discharge communications, with guidance from the Royal College of Physicians. More than 200 clinicians are now on the system, developed by Medisec.
Chris Gillespie, service development manager, Medical Business Unit at East Cheshire NHS Trust said: “The introduction and development of eDNF (electronic Discharge Notification Forms) has assisted the trust to achieve our commissioning requirements and avoided considerable penalties associated with non compliance.”
Debi Lees, customer service delivery manager at Cheshire ICT Service added: “GPs need as much relevant and detailed information as possible to offer the best quality of care, yet they often have to take over the care of patients who have had a major illness with very scant details.
“Now a patient can be discharged from Macclesfield District General Hospital and visit their GP for follow-up care the next day and the GP will be fully up-to-speed with critical developments at the hospital, such as new medication or test results.”
Tell us what you think – have your say below, or email us directly at [email protected]