Agenda item

[Stephen Cook, Senior IM & T Project Manager Wolverhampton CCG, present  asking HWBB to approve a plan to integrate patient online records]

Mike Hastings, Associate Director of Operations, NHS Wolverhampton CCG, presented a report for approval by the Board of plans for Wolverhampton Local Digital Roadmap (LDR) as a requirement by NHS England in order to access funding.

The Associate Director explained that the proposal is an agreement between different health partner agencies who have each contributed to the drafting of the plan. NHS Wolverhampton CCG is the lead organisation responsible for the development of Wolverhampton LDR. The Associate Director explained that the plan was presented to the regional panel meeting in Birmingham. The plans will then be presented to national body for approval. The Board were advised that this is a condition of getting funding to invest in technology intended to transform the delivery of health services. Claire Skidmore is leading on the IT infrastructure and will be represented on the LDR Board.

The Associate Director explained the work being done with GPs to create longitudinal clinical records and progress for the sharing of patient data between primary and secondary care. The Associate Director commented that new system would allow access by The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust (RWT) to patient records, with patient permission. The Associate Director explained that RWT plan to make all correspondence electronic to support the plans. The Associate Director commented that the all the partner agencies are working well together and are very supportive of the programme aims.

The Board queried the reference in the report to the development of a shared care record across the whole health and social care economy and progress to date. The Board queried the sharing the records involving child protection issues. The Associate Director explained the issues in achieving this are not insurmountable; however the biggest issue is around complying with information governance requirements. The Associate Director commented that Better Care funding would be used to put a data sharing agreement into place. Furthermore, there will be a need to do a privacy impact analysis, which is being prepared, plus other initiatives to comply with governance requirements about the sharing of health care records.

A member of the Board commented about an event organised by Kings Fund which discussed the how a similar data sharing scheme had been delivered in Canterbury, New Zealand. The Board were advised of the benefits reported of medical staff having access to real time when caring for patients.

The Board commented on concern that there will be parts of the population will never be adopt to using digital technology and queried how the proposal would respond to this challenge. The Associate Director commented that the expectation that the need for paper systems will continue to be made available to the public as means of accessing services. The Board were advised that Government guidance is that access to services should be moved online – digital by default. The Associate Director reassured the Board that the new LDR will not remove existing methods of people accessing health care services on the basis of digital by design.

The Board discussed that the Council is working on the principal of digital by design and not default as part of the Chanel Shift initiative to change how the public access Council services.

Ros Jervis, Service Director Public Health and Wellbeing, commented on the importance of using the work of the LDR to support the commissioning of services and also feeding into the work of the Joint Strategic Needs Analysis (JSNA).

The Board sought reassurance that the reference in the document to the safeguarding of adults, also applied to child care protection. The Associate Director confirmed. The Board commented that the aim of LDR programme is not just about information sharing and it was important that full use is made of the information.

The Board commented that the embedded documents listed in Appendix 2 of the report could not be opened and this problem should be corrected asap before it is shared with the public.

The Strategic Director, Community, queried the sign-off process for the LDR and if key people within the Council had been consulted about the plans. The Strategic Director commented that the report had not been shared with People Leadership Team and requested that it presented for more detailed consideration of the plan.

Cllr Samuels commented that the Cabinet Member with lead responsibility for Health and Wellbeing is Cllr Paul Sweet.

Resolved:

1.    The Wolverhampton Local Digital Roadmap report to be presented to People Leadership Team.

2.    The Board support the aims of Wolverhampton Local Digital Roadmap and approved the report.