NHS integration experts, ReStart Consulting Ltd, has launched the Viper360 Presentation Layer to allow more clinicians, carers and patients to interact with shared care records in real-time, faster than ever before.
The solution will support Sustainability Transformation Partnerships (STPs) working towards joined up health and care by overcoming the significant barriers to the adoption of digital shared care records.
The Viper360 Presentation Layer is a flexible, affordable and scalable solution for organisations wanting to reduce the cost of interoperability and release clinical, safety and efficiency benefits faster.
Felim McCarthy, senior clinical consultant, said “Clinicians and carers are tired and frustrated with the over-promises of how IT systems can benefit them. They want better access and the ability to update patient information in real-time on the device of their choosing, and they want it now. Reducing risk to patient safety is a huge benefit to clinicians. The Presentation Layer means they don’t have to keep logging in and re-writing the same patient information into different systems.”
A common issue for local organisations within STPs is varying levels of digital maturity, making it difficult to connect multiple legacy and new systems with different interfaces and messaging standards. Similarly, IT priorities and budgets are often focused on organisational needs rather than regional, with reliance on national IT funding to deliver interoperability projects.
The Viper360 Presentation Layer overcomes these challenges. It plugs the interoperability gap between Trust Integration Engines (TIEs) and enterprise-wide integration solutions such as electronic patient records and clinical portals, building towards a full shared care record.
This highly configurable solution supports all levels of interoperability maturity from patient portal programmes to advanced predictive health analytics. It works by leveraging the use of existing TIEs and Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) enabling users to view, review and write back into multiple IT systems in real-time.
It offers STPs what patient portal technology cannot; a complete presentation of relevant data between patients and multiple clinicians or carers (a many-to-many relationship). Patient portals work on a one-to-many relationship where the entire visibility of data is driven by the patient in providing access to multiple clinicians.
The Viper360 Presentation Layer is a central component to ReStart Consulting’s incremental approach to interoperability allowing programme teams to achieve targets, on time, and on budget. It removes the pressures of delivering large, cumbersome integration systems without the need to implement full-scale portal technology.
For example, STP organisations could prioritise interoperability around immediate issues such as reducing inappropriate A&E attendances, delayed discharges, or managing end of life preferences more effectively, then progress towards a shared care record.
Mike Symers, managing director, ReStart Consulting said: “STPs are grappling with the ambitious but complex delivery of full shared care records which are often reliant on government funding. Many do not have £2m, let alone £20m for these projects, and the Presentation Layer is ideally placed to release interoperability-related benefits in months, not years.
“Our advice is rather than trying to solve all the problems with a single implementation, tackle the most urgent problem and then build on that success. We think the NHS can achieve integrated care ambitions quicker and more cost-effectively” concluded Symers.
The ReStart team’s NHS integration experience spans over 11 years in which time they have developed more than 1,000 interfaces for 75 customers. Four NHS sites – Nottinghamshire Healthcare, South West Yorkshire Partnership, Bedford Hospital, West Sussex CCGs – are live with the Viper360 solution.
Visit the ReStart website for more information on Viper360 Presentation Layer or contact Selina Sachar on selina.sachar@restartconsulting.com
