CGI (NYSE: GIB) (TSX: GIB.A), in partnership with North Cumbria Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust (NCIC) and Better, announces the successful rollout of a new e-prescribing and medicines administration (ePMA) solution to all NCIC Community Hospital inpatient settings.
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. This includes the recent South London and Maudsley Trust delivery which saw the implementation of the ePMA solution in a mental health setting for the first time.
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 roll out 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.
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.
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.”
Dr Craig Melrose, Clinical Director for Community Hospitals at the Trust, added “The ePMA system has proved to be a really positive step forward for the community wards, it has made prescribing easier and simpler at the same time. It is easy to use and has helped reduce work for prescribers.”
Miha Zoubek, Senior Technical Support Engineer at Better, said “Having our Better Meds ePMA system live on the Copeland Unit at West Cumberland Hospital is a fantastic moment. Nurses and prescribers liked it so much that the pilot go-live at Cumbria was extended to an additional palliative care ward. Of course, this success would not have been possible without our partners and teams in North Cumbria Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust and CGI. The teams have worked swiftly and collaboratively whilst being sensitive to the needs of patients and staff and can be genuinely proud of what they have achieved.”
About CGI
Founded in 1976, CGI is among the largest independent IT and business consulting services firms in the world. With 88,500 consultants and professionals across the globe, CGI delivers an end-to-end portfolio of capabilities, from strategic IT and business consulting to systems integration, managed IT and business process services and intellectual property solutions. CGI works with clients through a local relationship model complemented by a global delivery network that helps clients digitally transform their organizations and accelerate results. CGI Fiscal 2021 reported revenue is $12.13 billion and CGI shares are listed on the TSX (GIB.A) and the NYSE (GIB). Learn more at cgi.com.
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