NORTH Cumbria Integrated Care and Better have teamed up to rollout a new 'e-prescribing and medicines solution' (ePMA). 

The ePMA solution facilitates the prescribing of patient medication, and the recording of its administration, as well as supporting pharmacy reconciliation and review exercises.

It will allow for patient records to be stored electronically and more readily available 24/7.

The change will eliminate the need for paper charts and prescriptions, which the Trust was reliant on before.

CGI was selected by the Trust due to its experience in developing and delivering similar solutions across the UK. 

Paul Fieldhouse, clinical director of pharmacy at North Cumbria Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust, said “We are absolutely delighted with the ongoing partnership with CGI and Better.

"The new system is already transforming the way medicines are prescribed and administered across our hospitals. Of all our digital projects, e-Prescribing is the biggest step forward in patient safety.” 

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The NCIC solution was initially piloted in the 15-bed Copeland Unit at West Cumberland Hospital, a community inpatient ward providing medical care to its residents.

With rollout of the solution across the Trust planned to take place over eight months, it was successfully activated at the pilot ward in early August 2022.

The new fully digital system enables NCIC to 'provide increased quality and consistency of care for its patients', regardless of their unique conditions or location, they said.

Donna Kelly, senior vice president at CGI in the UK, said: "Not only will the digitalisation increase the accuracy of prescribing for the patients within NCIC, but it will also improve the consistency of care, regardless of where in the county individuals are based.

"We are proud to be transforming the care of patients across the NCIC Trust and look forward to working with both them and Better.” 

With the initial pilot ward activation being deemed a success, the Trust has subsequently rapidly rolled out the solution to several other wards and hospital sites – with Isel Ward at Cockermouth Hospital, and Community Ward at Keswick Hospital, being recent recipients of ePMA.

To date, the solution has been successfully deployed to seven wards across six different community hospital sites within the Trust.

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