Last week, the Chief Executive of the NHS - Sir Simon Stevens - sent a letter to all NHS Trusts and providers outlining a series of actions that Trusts must prioritise in Phase 3 of our COVID response.
An important overarching aim of this phase is to accelerate the return of non-Covid health services, making full use of the capacity available between now and the advent of winter pressures.
A big focus was placed on the use of telemedicine to speed up care; as well closer collaboration between primary and secondary using advice and guidance that can see patients treated efficiently, without an onward referral.
Cinapsis couldn’t be in a stronger position to help Trusts, GPs and community health providers achieve these aims.
Not only have we just been included in NHSX’s new Clinical Communications Procurement Framework - meaning we’re fully compliant and have the official stamp of approval - but the capabilities of our tech put us in prime position to help organisations work towards a number of Sir Stevens’ specific aims right away.
1. Restoring full operation of all cancer services
The priority here is to reduce unmet need, restore the number of people coming forward with suspected cancer to pre-pandemic levels and speed up diagnosis and treatment.
Cinapsis can help, as our system enables the secure sharing of patient records, results and images without delay, resulting in faster diagnosis and management of cancer patients.
Using Cinapsis, suspected 2-week wait referrals for cancer from Primary Care can all be triaged ahead of first and follow-up hospital appointments, and all cases can be completed with images and clinical information attached.
In Gloucestershire ICS, prior to using Cinapsis only 10% of 2-week wait referrals were sent with an image attached. Now, 100% of cases are complete with images and clinical information. This is a 90% increase compared to when e-RS alone was used, showing the direct impact Cinapsis can have on speeding up diagnosis and management for 2-week wait cancer referrals.
2. Recovering the maximum elective activity possible between now and winter
NHS organisations using Cinapsis are reducing face-to-face elective appointments by 70%, as our platform seamlessly connects primary and secondary care and facilitates the fast and secure exchange of patient information, specialist advice and expert guidance.
This connectivity has also seen organisations using Cinapsis experience an 83% drop in unnecessary A&E visits, by triaging patients to more appropriate services in hospitals or communities.
Instantly connecting GPs, paramedics and community nurses with local specialists using instant alerts, messaging, phone or video conferencing is the most immediate way of easing pressure on waiting lists, triaging patients quickly and effectively and recovering the maximum elective activity possible between now and winter.
3. Restoring service delivery in primary care and community services; and improving mental health services
Cinapsis enables our NHS partners to improve service delivery across primary care, community services and mental health services, by helping them manage first and follow-up appointments faster through instant messaging, video consultations and image-sharing.
The best course of action for each patient can be decided using specialist advice and guidance from their very first encounter with a clinical service, thus freeing up clinicians’ time for those patients in greatest need of face-to-face appointments.
Reducing the number of patients requiring in-person referral appointments will help Trusts restore service delivery across primary care, community services and mental health services.
What happens next?
If you're looking for additional funding to help your organisation achieve Sir Stevens’ aims, NHSX has recently made a pot of money available through the Clinical Communications Procurement Framework.
As funding for this framework is centrally allocated, we expect the volume of applications for Cinapsis to be extremely high. Please come and speak with us soon if you are interested in hearing more.
Contact us or learn more about how we can help by visiting our website.