News
£80m electronic medical record system for UK armed forces
13 August 2007
A new system for military medical records that will allow them to be
accessed from anywhere in the world is being rolled out to all UK Army
medical facilities, the MOD and LogicaCMG have announced.
The Defence Medical Information Capability Programme (DMICP) was
piloted at two small sites and at Colchester Medical Reception Station,
the first large military medical centre to implement the system. It will
be extended to the RAF, Royal Navy, Defence Dental Services and
permanent overseas bases by August 2008.
After 2008, a deployed version of the system will be available in
field hospitals, on board ships and on the battlefield via laptop and
other portable equipment under development. This will mean instant
access to casualties’ medical records to aid diagnosis and improve and
speed up treatment. The system will also allow casualties to be issued
with a chip loaded with their health records as a back-up until they
reach a military medical or NHS facility.
Derek Twigg, the Under Secretary of State for Defence said:
“The new system being launched today is all about improving the care and
treatment of military personnel. Doctors, pharmacists, nurses and other
health professionals will now benefit from access to one central
database, providing the most up-to-date information on their patients —
it will not matter if they are in Birmingham or Basra. This is a truly
21st Century way of working and a huge step change in medical care.”
Lt Gen Robert Baxter, Deputy Chief of Defence Staff (Health), said:
“The Defence Medical Services are delighted with the achievements made
by the DMICP programme so far. The ability to access patient records
anywhere, anytime is an invaluable asset and the assurance of a single
record for each patient will give medical staff greater confidence that
when treating patients they are looking at a definitive record. The
system will allow staff to work more efficiently, spend more of their
time caring for patients and utilise medical resources more effectively.
We will quickly see the powerful impact that DMICP will have on both DMS
staff and patients, and we are looking forward with great enthusiasm to
the deployment phase of the programme.”
At present, military medical records are held on non-networked
computers or on paper. Service personnel may even have more than one
record as they move between different locations during their career.
DMICP will contain all military medical and dental records in a
single electronic database. Any medical professional who is involved in
a patient’s care will be able to access and update the individual’s
health records, even on operations overseas. Staff will also be able to
record patients’ details such as appointments, diagnosis and treatment.
From 2010, the system will be connected to NHS information systems,
simplifying and improving the processes by which Service personnel gain
access to treatment in NHS hospitals. It will also mean that the NHS
medical records of new recruits can be imported directly into the
Defence Medical Services, and records can be exported back to civilian
GPs on retirement.
DMICP will also enable the MOD to generate detailed, accurate
information on the health of the Armed Forces. By identifying patterns
of illnesses and the outcomes of medical treatment, it will aid the
process of continually identifying ways to provide quicker and more
effective treatment. It is a key component of the Defence Health Change
Programme, which is improving Forces’ healthcare in a variety of ways.
Ed Jones, Managing Director of LogicaCMG’s Space and Defence Division
said: “The complexity of this programme, both in terms of business
transformation and technology, cannot be underestimated. The joint risk
reduction exercise completed during the bid phase has contributed to the
successful delivery of this programme. The close partnership between the
Defence Medical Services team and LogicaCMG brings together a powerful
combination of skills from within the public and private sectors, which
has been essential to the programme’s delivery on time and to budget.”
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