Ealing PCT adopts web-based reporting tool for clinical governance
Ealing Primary Care Trust has deployed a web-based reporting tool,
Sentinel, to provide real-time management of clinical issues, improve
communications and reporting and support a more proactive approach to
risk management.
To meet mandatory reporting requirements of the National Patient
Safety Agency (NPSA), managers needed a reporting solution to collate
data from across the Trust and provide more effective risk management
through a series of early warning mechanisms.
A paper-based system was previously in place at the Trust, which was
both labour-intensive and time-consuming, and meant that incidents were
not quickly reacted to. Reports had to be manually written and sent to a
central location for processing before the relevant clinician or manager
was alerted to the issue.
The Trust partnered with Vantage Technologies to create a bespoke
reporting solution. Sentinel enables PCT staff to log in and report
incidents remotely via NHS.net, simplifying the reporting process and
making it more of an integral part of working practice. The system
automatically triggers an alert to relevant specialist managers, such as
those in medicines management or occupational health, so that issues can
be quickly resolved. As a result there has been increased partnership
between the clinical governance team and specialist staff, ensuring a
more co-ordinated and integrated approach to improving staff and patient
safety and overall risk management.
Sentinel has begun to significantly reduce the administrative and
managerial burden of reporting clinical incidents, and is used by staff
both within the organisation and externally to alert the Trust to
potential risks in real time. It helps staff to share and use data more
effectively, identifying trends and patterns across neighbourhood areas
and clinical services so that preventative support can be given. An
additional benefit is the ability to generate customised reports on
performance and risk management to support clinical governance and
assure the Trust board that appropriate measures are in place.
Source: bjhc&im September 2006
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