How can interoperability transform healthcare in Scotland?
April 17, 2023
NHS Dumfries and Galloway become the first in Scotland to roll out the Medical Interoperability Gateway (MIG).
The Health Board have completed a pilot project with Healthcare Gateway connecting 31 GP practices across the region providing clinicians with real-time access to patient data, supporting faster and safer care. Serving a rural population with NHS Dumfries and Galloway’s ambition is to digitise health and care, driving forward with electronic records to diminish paper records.
Benefits of accessing the primary care data has been invaluable for clinicians and usage statistics have recorded over 40,000 transactions since go live. It means clinicians now have access to rich patient information at the point of care where previously, they would spend time on the phone or emailing GP surgeries, which often led to delays in care.
"We knew what concept needed to be applied to help us achieve our digital transformation goals and Healthcare Gateway turned our concept into a reality. The team owned the delivery and moved it forward by liaising with third parties directly, providing a seamless pilot project experience."
Clinicians across all the secondary care settings can now access the MIG’s Detailed Care Record (DCR) which presents ten tabs of information from the GP record including a patient summary and demographics, problems, diagnoses, medication, risk and warnings, procedures and investigations, encounters, admissions, and referrals, direct into their patient portal hosted by Orion Health. Sharing data via the MIG is boosting efficiency and making vital real-time information available to a wide range of NHS end users to provide integrated care for patients with benefits realised:
“The patients often find it difficult to remember this information. I would. Previously we had to phone the GP surgery and the receptionists were extremely helpful, but it was time consuming for them and us. Having access to this information is vital when we are thinking about escalating treatment. This has really helped us to deliver more patient centred and safe care.”
“I am using the GP info for almost all of my patients. It is invaluable for checking current medications and when seeing patients who are not reliable historians or have trouble remembering what medicines they take.”
“We’re delighted we can now offer our MIG Managed Service to identify, integrate and support data sharing solutions to all the Health Boards across Scotland providing the population with safer, more informed care.
This project with NHS Dumfries and Galloway has highlighted many quantifiable benefits in timesaving, efficiencies and providing a more positive experience for patients and healthcare professionals. We stand by our mission and are committed to improving health and care in Scotland, enhancing the full patient journey by working with our trusted partners to mobilise more data regardless of setting or system.”
“In the UK, Orion Health and Healthcare Gateway have a long standing and successful relationship supporting the sharing of a patient’s GP data digitally within the Orion Health Clinical Portal. Being able to share patient GP data in the Orion Health Clinical Portal such as diagnoses, allergies and medications can deliver big benefits to healthcare economies, health and care teams and their patients. Health and care professionals are better able to use this information to make informed treatment decisions faster and provide the most appropriate care leading to better outcomes.
There is a great deal of interest in Scotland in this innovative solution to support care and an improved user experience and we look forward to working with Healthcare Gateway in the future on similar projects across Scotland."
NHS Dumfries and Galloway’s next step on their journey to digitisation is to expand MIG connectivity, providing remote teams including district nurses and community mental health access to patient information, at the point of care.
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