Kent Community Health NHS Foundation Trust’s Integrated Sexual Health Services go live with Inform Health
Kent Community Health NHS Foundation Trust’s (KCHFT) Integrated Sexual Health Services has implemented a new Electronic Patient Record (EPR) system, marking the service’s first step on its digital transformation journey with specialist sexual health and HIV software provider, Inform Health.
Despite an ambitious three-month timeline for procurement, configuration, user acceptance testing, and training, the go-live was delivered successfully in mid-April. Since then, the new clinic-based system is already helping to ‘transform daily operations’ for the service; supporting best clinical practice, improved patient access, increased efficiency, and enhanced visibility over performance, which will enable data-led targeting of future provision.
Leah Elliott, Clinical Services Manager at KCHFT’s Integrated Sexual Health Services attributes the success of the project to the people involved:
“The true champions of this story are the people, our IT and sexual health teams and the team at Inform Health, who have worked together, against tight timeframes and evolving requirements, to get the job done and maintain service continuity for patients.
Inform Health have understood and shared our vision from the start, partnering to bring our plans to fruition and create a stable and efficient system that will better enable us to uphold our service’s outstanding rating long into the future”
Nicky Reynolds, IT Project Manager for Sexual Health at KCHFT agrees:
“Delivery of this project has been fast paced, due to the requirements of our Trust following the tender process. This has meant big, rapid changes for all involved, who have been professional and engaged throughout. Inform Health’s project management and support has been fantastic and has helped ensure a harmonious transition onto our replacement EPR system for the sexual health service across Kent and Medway.
I’d like to extend a big thank you to all involved, including the sexual health, IT and training teams, for their hard work and dedication in delivering this phase of the project successfully. I’m looking forward to developing our partnership with Inform Health over the coming years, with exciting developments ahead that we hope will drive further improvements for all service stakeholders”
Now live with Inform Health’s EPR system, KCHFT Sexual Health Services are already busy planning phase two of the digital transformation journey with Inform Health. Scheduled for later this year, the introduction of a tailored, patient-facing Personal Health Record (PHR) is set to deliver more benefits for patients and the service alike.
Once live, the PHR will empower KCHFT’s patients to create a secure profile on the service’s PHR platform; search for, book, cancel, and amend appointments quickly and easily online; and be intelligently triaged to the most appropriate appointment or communication. Further future enhancement possibilities also include automated STI results notification, secure direct messaging, self-managed anonymous partner notification, and a healthcare partner module.
Commenting on the partnership with KCHFT Integrated Sexual Health Services, Inform Health’s Commercial Director, Sue Bunn, said:
“The fast-paced nature of this project has left zero margin for error and demanded close partnership working, expert project management and clear communication. I’m delighted to say that by working collaboratively and sharing not just the vision but the passion for delivering value to patients and the service itself, we’ve achieved our goal.
KCHFT is now in a stronger position to rise to the challenges faced by all sexual health services, accommodate increasing demand and ensure that efficiency, patient access, and health outcomes remain at the heart of service delivery”
