In conjunction with local commissioners and with funding support from the NHS England Safer Hospitals Safer Wards fund, the trust has approved a full business case to deploy Orion Health's Cross Community Care Record (CCCR) to integrate key information relevant to acute services provided at the Lewisham and Queen Elizabeth hospital sites, community services provided by the trust, and Lewisham primary care services.

This will see around 4000 users provided with secure, appropriate, online access, and a real opportunity to improve the coordination of services and the delivery of improved outcomes of care; for example, through more targeted interventions and care planning. The number of users could rise by a further 3,500 if the CCCR is extended to Greenwich primary care, Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust, Lewisham and Greenwich social care, as planned by partner organisations.

Elisa Steele, Director of IT at Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust said: “Our drive to integrate care records reinforces our ambition to truly unite services and staff in Lewisham and Greenwich. In addition, integrating our systems and patient information will help us to coordinate care with our colleagues in local government, supporting the NHS' objective to be fully integrated with social care by 2018.

"More coordinated care delivery means reduced hospital admissions, reduced A&E attendances, fewer referrals, and fewer outpatient follow ups throughout our local health economy. What's more, we will be able to deliver more targeted interventions and care planning to reduce clinical risks when transferring care across boundaries."

The new integrated care record and the associated workflow tools will support the strategic aspirations for community-based care in south east London, including the delivery of high quality, integrated care for high-risk groups such as people with long-term conditions. The system will enable health and social care providers to collaborate and deliver a continuity of care that is focused on the needs of the individual.

Future plans include rollout of a secure and private web-based portal providing individuals with access to their own record.

Colin Henderson, managing director, UK & Ireland for Orion Health said: "We will be working closely with Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust to help integrate the current silos of information, providing greater access for health and social care workers within their local health economy, with the ultimate goal of improving patient care and outcomes. This announcement reinforces our proven track record in delivering integrated systems for many health and social care providers across the UK."

Related news articles:

• Orion Health's Profile

About Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust
Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust (LGT) was formed on 1 October 2013. The trust provides NHS services for local people in Lewisham, Greenwich, Bexley and other parts of south east London. It is responsible for NHS services at Lewisham Hospital, Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Greenwich and eleven different health centres in Lewisham. In addition, it provides some services at Queen Mary's Hospital in Sidcup.

About Orion Health Ltd
Founded in 1993 in Auckland, New Zealand, Orion Health is a global leader in population health management. With an inherent ability to interconnect a wide variety of healthcare information systems, Orion Health has become a global leading provider of health information exchange (HIE) and healthcare integration solutions. Orion Health has extensive experience in the design and installation of complex systems within demanding healthcare environments. Today, Orion Health products and solutions are implemented in more than 30 countries.