Locating the correct patient record within an acceptable timeframe is
not only a measure of good service but also an operational requirement.
In the Cambridge and Ely area, records management is provided to 10
PCTs, Social Services departments and NHS Direct by the Anglia Support
Partnership (ASP), based in Huntingdon. In 1997/98, external auditors
were critical of the clinical records management,
and Northampton-based document-management specialist Cave Tab was called
in. After several months of planning, two new live record libraries
and an archive store were established early in 1999. Files were housed
in colour-coded folders and barcoded to facilitate tracking using Cave
Tab file-tracking software. This led to a significant improvement in
records management and to the expansion of the system in 2000, with two
further live libraries and an additional 300 000 records. When 130 000
more records were subsequently added, Cave Tab introduced Alchemy, its
open-database-compatible software facilitating development and
integration with other software packages.
“Filetracker and Alchemy packages have proved to be robust and
reliable”, said Alan Bampton, Director of Records Management at the ASP.
“While barcoding is considered by some to be ‘old technology’, it has
been proven to work efficiently. We are achieving a service with most
records being available for use within 48 hours. The implementation of
the systems recommended and supplied by Cave Tab has enabled us to
vastly improve the service to medical and support staff and to achieve
space and cost savings by moving record storage off main operational
sites.”
Source: bjhc&im September 2004
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