£6.2 Million IT Investment In North Wales Healthcare

An investment of over £6 million to upgrade IT services at Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board has been announced.

In total £6.245m will be invested into the health board, which will allow for the creation of a new patient administration system, which will record details of patients’ hospital visits’ including waiting list management, medical records, inpatient treatment, outpatient appointments and emergency visits.

It will replace a number of different IT systems currently in use across North Wales and will improve clinical communication between hospitals, GP surgeries and community care. It will also improve access to the Welsh Clinical Portal, which streamlines access for NHS staff to test results, discharge letters and referrals, saving time and reducing the need for paper records.

Speaking about the investment Deputy Health Minister Vaughan Gething, said: “This investment will create a modern IT system, making it easier for clinical and administrative staff to work effectively and reduce unnecessary time spent on several different systems. It will improve the way staff manage information during a patient’s journey through hospital, from referral to discharge.

“The new system will eventually allow patients to tell the health board how they wish to be contacted, helping the health board to modernise appointment booking and issue reminders to reduce the number of missed appointments.

“Hospitals in North Wales received 1.27 million patient visits last year and it’s vital computer technology is able to keep pace and help staff to work effectively as they treat more people than ever.”