Nursing admission documentation (NAD) consist of sets of assessments and records used by the NHS for admitting a patient into a hospital and for their ongoing care. For the nurses responsible, filling in these forms and updating them as required is a time-consuming process. Errors can occur, and it’s challenging for nurses and other clinicians to quickly find and efficiently access relevant patient information.
This has long been a big issue for the nursing team at North Tees Hospital and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust (NTH). Traditionally, the nurse admissions process involved meticulously completing a comprehensive 50-page paper document for each patient, followed by a wide range of updates, reassessments, and reviews throughout the patient’s stay.
To tackle this, the trust decided to enhance its existing InterSystems TrakCare electronic patient record (EPR) system to improve ward admissions efficiency and ongoing patient care. Working with InterSystems, and using TrakCare Active Clinical Noting application, the trust's clinical and digital teams created a seamless digital workflow that significantly boosted efficiency and accuracy in patient care
This successful collaboration between InterSystems and the trust was recently recognised at the Health Tech Digital Awards 2024, winning in the Best Use of Technology (Acute Care) category. This accolade highlights the remarkable improvements in patient care and operational efficiency achieved through this partnership.
TrakCare brings substantial savings in cost and time
Over the course of a year from 1 June 2023 to 31 May 2024, the trust measured 1,474,125 admission and ongoing assessment documents were completed digitally within the nurse admission workflow. By using TrakCare to digitise documentation for its 48,104 admissions, the trust estimates it has saved £76,000 over this period in ink and paper costs alone, while also reinvesting 10,422 nursing hours directly back into patient care. At the same time, the efficiencies that the trust has achieved from the project have helped reduce its carbon footprint.
The implementation also significantly enhances information access. With TrakCare, nurses can now digitally access patient records and admission details from anywhere in the hospital. This ensures they have instant access to critical patient information, boosting patient safety and care quality. By reducing administrative tasks, TrakCare frees up more time for nurses to spend with patients, improving engagement and outcomes.
High-quality training has been key to the project’s success. With support from the nursing teams, the trust’s digital team conducted comprehensive sessions, preparing 674 nurses and healthcare assistants (HCAs) — representing 80% of the workforce — for the project launch. The training also included agency nurses and some social workers to ensure optimal data use.
Evidencing success with award recognition
The success of the project was such that the trust now plans to expand its digitisation efforts to encompass additional areas of healthcare delivery, including outpatient services, stroke care pathways, and more.
For more information on InterSystems TrakCare, and how it can help your organisation streamline the admissions and patient care processes, contact InterSystems today.
