08.08.12
London merger proposes shared patient record
A shared patient record system could be implemented between three London Foundation Trusts as part of their merger plans.
Guy’s and St Thomas’, Kings College Hospital, and South London and Maudsley plan to merge by 2014, with a better use of IT and the creation of shared platforms.
The plan would lower the risk of medical error, improve the patient experience and improve access to patient data for research, the strategic outline case states. A shared platform would also make it easier for staff to work across locations.
The new organisation would have a turnover of £2.6bn and employ 29,000 staff.
The outline document reads: “Leveraging our scale, we will seek to establish a larger number of patient trials addressing the health issues that matter to our local population. We will do this in partnership with others through the Academic Health Science Network we hope to develop across south London.”
Professor Sir Robert Lechler, executive director of King’s Health Partners said: “The new organisation would mean better care for our patients, a faster translation of research into treatments and an integration of mental and physical health rarely seen elsewhere.
“It would give us the opportunity to create a world leading institution, capable of attracting the best clinicians, that our patients, communities and staff can be proud of.”
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