Frontline healthcare workers, including paramedics, nurses, and A&E doctors, play a crucial role in patient care, from GP referrals to emergency responses. Having up-to-date, accurate, and easily accessible patient information at the point of contact is vital for providing the kind of service that saves lives.

The Power of Integrated Records

Integrated records—a connected network of information that enables seamless sharing of patient data—could transform healthcare delivery. With easy-to-use interfaces and real-time updates from multiple sources, shared care records empower frontline workers by removing barriers to treatment and enhancing decision-making.

The benefits extend beyond individual care: less administrative burden and better coordination between healthcare professionals can significantly improve outcomes on a national scale.

Challenges for frontline workers

While most are aware of the daily hurdles in emergency healthcare faced by frontline workers, pinpointing the causes and – eventually – fixes for these issues can be challenging.

As an example, a paramedic on a call to a patient with a chronic condition could run into:

• Access delays to care records: Connectivity issues could cause disruption to paramedics attempting to access a patient’s shared care record using their own on-board system.
• Data fragmentation: Lack of up-to-date, relevant patient details can delay treatment, leading to repeated tests and an increased risk to patient safety. In 2019, 11 million patient experiences out of 121 million did not include information from a previous visit^[1].
• Hard-to-use systems: When A&E doctors struggle to find relevant data from shared care systems, they could miss critical information e.g. cardiology notes. A study in the Emergency Medicine Journal found that 68% of electronic health record (EHR) systems in the UK didn’t meet the industry standards for usability^[2].

Graphnet’s shared care solution addresses these issues with user-friendly interfaces, integrated data from multiple care settings, and flexible access options, ensuring healthcare professionals can view and update patient records anytime, anywhere.

What impact does this have on healthcare services?

The impact of imperfect shared care systems on NHS performance is substantial. A recent Guardian report^[3] shows ambulance handover delays in England harm 1,000 patients a day.

Improved care record sharing could alleviate these challenges by enhancing efficiency and resource allocation. Key areas impacted include:

• Patient safety and outcomes:  Faster access to accurate records reduces medical errors and ensures timely treatment.
• Ambulance and worker availability: Paramedics spend less time on scene when they can access critical data instantly, improving response times and workforce efficiency.
• Resource planning: Complete medical records enable better bed management and social care planning, reducing delays and gaps in care.
• Benefits of integrated systems in the NHS

There are many benefits to the types of integrated care systems Graphnet provides. When implemented properly, a shared care record system can improve the quality of healthcare given nationally - a big step towards a more cohesive and comprehensive NHS.

• Faster, more accurate patient care: NHS connectivity solutions give instant access to frontline workers for patient records, reducing delays and enabling more informed decision making. 
• Less administrative burden: Healthcare professionals will spend less time navigating IT systems that have poor user function and spend more time addressing patient care directly. Outdated IT systems cause NHS doctors to lose 13.5 million working hours annually^[4].
• Fewer medical errors: Integrated care systems have been shown to improve patient safety and care^[5], reducing errors by removing crucial informational gaps like medication history or allergies. 
• Cost savings: Integrated care systems could help to improve time and resource allocation by avoiding redundant tests and treatments, creating optimised medical resource use and reduced NHS expenditure.
• Better patient experience: By allowing healthcare professionals direct and consistent access to a patient’s medical history, this information follows the patient across their healthcare journey, getting them faster, patient-centric care. 
• Better coordination for frontline care: Shared care systems create better coordination among frontline healthcare providers^[6], streamlining emergency responses and providing relevant patient care quickly. 
• Greater population-wide health management: Integrated systems allow the Population Health Management and analysis of patient data across regions, enabling larger scale preventative care and resource planning across the country.

Graphnet’s solutions for shared care

Graphnet Health offers modern solutions for shared care records that can help improve the effectiveness and efficiency of frontline workers. 

Comprehensive integration of health and social care data

Our platforms – including the Shared Care system – integrate data from multiple sources like NHS trusts, GPs, social care services, and mental health service providers, creating a unified patient record accessible to authorised frontline healthcare professionals. It:

• Reduces data silos – separate systems that don’t share information with each other – by collecting information and putting it in one convenient place.
• Supports broad care by viewing the patient’s medical history, social care needs, and treatment plan in their entirety.
• Fosters collaboration between health and social care providers to deliver coordinated care

Mobile and instant access

Graphnet offers a personal health record (PHR) platform, data feeds, and a remote monitoring app. These create instant access to patient records at the point of care and are accessible via tablets, smartphones, and laptops, ensuring frontline workers have the data they need regardless of their location. They:

• Empower paramedics, A&E doctors, and community care providers with real-time data.
• Enhance decision-making speed and accuracy during time-critical situations.
• Eliminate the need for manual data sharing and streamline patient transitions between care settings.

User-friendly features

• Graphnet offers user-friendly systems, including single sign-on (SSO). This provides emergency healthcare workers with systems that work together easily, creating a more comprehensive patient record system.
• The Greater Manchester Care Record has reduced admissions, provided better outcomes, and improved workflows in the healthcare system as a result of using our software.

Read more about Graphnet’s integrated healthcare software.

NHS digital transformation: Necessary improvements to Shared Care Records

There are several integrations the healthcare industry needs to make to see the benefits of shared care records.

• Simplified interfaces for fast navigation: Frontline workers require easy-to-use interfaces so they can quickly locate critical patient data without going through a lot of information.
• Enhanced mobile accessibility for paramedics and remote workers: Mobile-friendly Shared Care Records enable real-time access to patient information.
• Real-time updates and cross-organisation alerts for critical cases: Shared Care Records should provide instant updates and automated alerts for critical cases, ensuring that healthcare professionals remain informed. For instance, they can alert A&E staff immediately to high-risk care scenes ahead of time.

Graphnet’s future innovations

Graphnet is committed to working towards future innovations in the healthcare sector, including:

• Integration with population health tools: Graphnet already has tools that combine Shared Care Records with population health analytics, enabling better planning and resource allocation across healthcare systems. As further innovation within the Graphnet Population Health platform takes place, even more data becomes available to users of the shared care system.
• Patient engagement platforms: These platforms already give patients direct access to their health records, offering them more control over self-management. Allowing patients to track their care plans and communicate with providers and frontline workers through secure portals.

Graphnet’s Commitment to NHS Frontline Care

Graphnet actively collaborates with NHS Trusts to design solutions tailored to the challenges faced by frontline workers, including paramedics, A&E staff, and community care providers.

• Simplified Workflows: Graphnet’s Shared Care Records ensure that essential patient data is easily accessible, reducing time spent searching for information.
• Real-Time Data Sharing: Instant updates between organisations, from GPs to hospitals and social care teams, enable faster, more coordinated decision-making.
• Mobile-Friendly Tools: Graphnet’s mobile solutions ensure that paramedics and remote workers can access records anytime, enhancing point-of-care decisions. A paramedic responding to an emergency can instantly access a patient's care plan, medications, and allergy history via a tablet.

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