Child Protection – Information Sharing: Accelerating National Protection with InterSystems UK

In a rapidly advancing digital age, data management and interoperability are proving crucial for transforming healthcare delivery, and specifically, child protection. InterSystems, with its high-performance integration, and data management technologies, has been at the forefront of this evolution. Their dedication to improving lives, one digital innovation at a time, is evident in their commitment to support and accelerate the adoption of Child Protection Information Sharing (CP-IS).

InterSystems HealthShare is a sophisticated health informatics platform that is fast becoming a game-changer in child protection information sharing. As an NHS Digital accredited company, InterSystems employs its technological prowess and dedicated resources to aid NHS trusts in rapidly and smoothly implementing CP-IS. The driving mission behind this: safeguarding society's most vulnerable members—our children.

HealthShare's robust data integration capabilities allow it to bring together disparate health and social care data sources into a unified, coherent, and easily accessible format. This facilitates the sharing of vital child protection information between all necessary parties—across different departments, between various health and social care institutions, and even spanning different geographical locations.

Moreover, HealthShare's advanced analytics and real-time data capabilities can be harnessed to predict potential risk factors, giving child protection professionals the tools they need to prevent harm before it occurs. The system can identify patterns and trends, aiding in the early detection and prevention of risk, a game-changer in the field of child protection.

The tragic cases of child abuse and the findings of the Children and Young People’s Health Outcomes Forum led to the establishment of the CP-IS system in 2012. The system was designed with a single, significant mission: to save lives by offering frontline unscheduled care professionals immediate access to vital patient information, thereby enabling faster decision-making when a child’s safety is at stake.

InterSystems' HealthShare platform has been instrumental in this, allowing healthcare providers to set up their systems for real-time patient data sharing. This capacity enables healthcare professionals to access crucial information instantly—whether a child under their care is subject to a child protection plan or is a looked-after child by the local authority. In addition, InterSystems' HealthShare facilitates flagging frequent attendance at emergency departments or urgent care centres, even allowing unborn children to be flagged on their mother's record.

The application of InterSystems' technologies has yielded significant results in child safeguarding via CP-IS. However, the dream of a nationally functional CP-IS system that can protect children, regardless of where they are in the country, is yet to be fully realised. Data from March 2017 shows that less than a third of local authorities and only 14% of health organisations were utilising CP-IS at the time.

InterSystems, with its groundbreaking digital health solutions, is working relentlessly to change this. Through partnerships with pioneering sites, InterSystems is using the lessons learned to guide the nationwide adoption and acceleration of CP-IS.

The successful adoption of CP-IS by Homerton University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust serves as a testament to InterSystems' commitment to making digital health transformation a reality. This NHS provider became the first to go live with real-time access to CP-IS, facilitated by the InterSystems HealthShare platform.

InterSystems HealthShare was the platform of choice due to its NHS Digital accreditation and its ability to seamlessly and securely connect to CP-IS and the central NHS Spine. This connection allowed critical child protection information to be incorporated directly into the hospital's electronic patient record (EPR) system. As a result, healthcare professionals are alerted instantly when treating a vulnerable child.

Healthcare providers that previously faced technical difficulties when attempting to implement CP-IS have found a reliable ally in InterSystems. Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust, which already had HealthShare in place, found it relatively easy to upgrade their system to include access to CP-IS.

The Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust serves as another inspiring case study of CP-IS adoption through InterSystems' HealthShare. Following their successful deployment, the trust is urging local authorities and neighbouring trusts to adopt CP-IS.

The triumphs of these trusts highlight the potential for nationwide acceleration of CP-IS adoption. InterSystems offers healthcare organisations a 'ready-to-deploy' CP-IS solution, aiming to create a comprehensive national picture that safeguards children, irrespective of their location.

Policy makers, regulators, the NHS, local authorities, and the government all have significant roles to play in this essential initiative. With InterSystems' advanced integration solutions for healthcare, a nationally interconnected child protection information system isn't merely an ambition—it's an achievable reality.

CP-IS is an NHS initiative designed to help health and social care professionals share information securely to protect children at risk of abuse or neglect.

InterSystems' HealthShare platform supports the rapid and smooth implementation of CP-IS by providing an environment for efficient data integration, advanced analytics, and real-time data access.

InterSystems HealthShare is a suite of connected health solutions that allows health and social care organisations to integrate, analyse, and share patient data in real time.

Real-time patient data sharing allows healthcare professionals to access vital child protection information immediately, enabling faster decision-making when a child’s safety is at stake.

While CP-IS has the potential to significantly improve child protection, the system faces challenges in terms of adoption rate, data quality, and interoperability. Many organisations struggle to implement the system due to technical difficulties or lack of resources.

InterSystems helps overcome these challenges through its HealthShare platform, which is designed to seamlessly connect to CP-IS and the central NHS Spine. This enables critical child protection information to be incorporated directly into healthcare providers' electronic patient record (EPR) systems.

Yes, Homerton University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust was the first to go live with real-time access to CP-IS facilitated by InterSystems HealthShare. The Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust and Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust have also successfully implemented CP-IS with HealthShare.

Healthcare organisations interested in implementing CP-IS with InterSystems can reach out directly to InterSystems to discuss their needs and get started with the process.