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 July 2016 
New referral service streamlines GP-to-Consultant connection
Welsh Patient Referral Service shortlisted for national e-health award 
 
A new electronic referral service in secondary care has resulted in a marked reduction in unnecessary clinic attendance - freeing up appointments and leading to shorter waiting times for patients.
  
The Welsh Patient Referral Service (WPRS) enables electronic referrals to go directly from GPs to consultants. The consultants can carry out a number of electronic actions with each referral, including prioritising, returning to the GP (with an explanation), and redirecting to non-consultant services or clinics.  
 
The service has been trialled in Cardiology Services in Cardiff's University Hospital where 11% of referrals were returned to GPs and 19% were redirected, resulting in a 30% reduction in consultant clinic attendance.
  
The service has also been implemented in Urology Services in Princess of Wales hospital in Bridgend with over two thousand referrals being electronically prioritised.
  
"It's a really safe, efficient and effective way to manage things," says Consultant Urologist and NHS Wales Informatics Service Medical Director, Rhidian Hurle."I can look at the referral and I can reply to the GP suggesting something they can try, so the patient's condition could be improved without having to potentially wait a few months for an outpatient appointment."
 
The WPRS has been announced as a finalist at the EHIĀ  Awards 2016 in the category "Best use of IT to support healthcare business efficiency." The awards ceremony takes place in London on September 29th.
Fast track to treatment
New feature for aneurysm screening programme improves referral process
 
A life-saving screening programme has been given an extra boost - thanks to a new e-referral system.
The Wales Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm (AAA) Screening programme has just received this new feature in their information management system which will streamline referrals to health boards.
The development, which has been delivered by NHS Wales Informatics Service in conjunction with the Screening Division of Public Health Wales, will now allow men with aortic aneurysms to be referred directly to the appropriate health board via the IT system.
Until now, these referrals had to be done manually with screening staff needing to manually refer the participants for additional investigations.  However, with the development, these referrals will able to be done automatically.  By referring automatically it was also be easier to audit the timescales from referral to treatment by the vascular teams.
"It is superb what can be done," says Llywela Wilson, head of programme for AAA screening, "The health boards having access to this information is a very useful tool."
Read more about how we support AAA screening on our NHS Wales Informatics Service website.
Raising Awareness 
Spotlighting the danger of lung cancer 
 
A new website to raise awareness of lung cancer was launched earlier this month.
 
It's a key part of a campaign, that runs during July and part of August, to achieve earlier diagnosis by raising awareness of the signs and symptoms of lung cancer. 
  
In Wales, lung cancer is the third most common cancer in men and the second most common in women.
  
The site was built by the NHS Informatics Service for the South Wales and North Wales cancer networks.
  
For more information about the lung cancer campaign, visit:
Ewch i'n gwefan am fersiwn iaith Gymraeg o'r cylchlythyr hwn.
  
Exemplar Search
Welsh Government and Bevan Commission looking for health innovators
 
The Welsh Government, in partnership with the Bevan Commission's Bevan Exemplars programme, is issuing a call to NHS Wales staff to apply to become Health Technology Exemplars. 
  
The Health Technology Exemplars programme will provide funding and support for NHS Wales staff to work in partnership with industry to implement an innovative health technology (non drug) in their clinical area, with the aim of improving NHS Wales ways of working, solving health problems and improving health outcomes.
  
More widely, the Health Technology Exemplars programme will provide a mechanism to accelerate the scale up and widespread adoption of innovative health technology products and services.
  
Through this open call, NHS Wales employees will be invited to work with Life Sciences and Health sector organisations to identify and rapidly introduce an innovative health technology into the Welsh health system during 2016/17.
  
Read more and download the application from the Bevan Commission website.
  
Informatics Champion
Dearing awarded Professorship from Trinity St David  
  
Wendy Dearing, Head of Workforce and Organisational Development, has been awarded an Honorary Professorship from the University of Wales Trinity St David.
The professorship in Applied Practice has been awarded in recognition of Wendy's expertise and knowledge in championing professionalism in technology and information.
Informatics in Numbers
20000
 
The Informatics Service has once again successfully passed the ISO 20000 external audit.
  
The audit updates our certificate awarded by the International Standards Organisation in recognition of quality of our IT Service Management, meaning  health boards in Wales can be confident that we provide a World Class service for IT delivery and support. 
  
The auditor met with various teams and services across several offices and looked at how our organisation managed service quality, infrastructure and a wide variety of other issues.
Gwybodeg Yn Gymraeg

A Welsh language version
of this newsletter is available
 
If you would like our monthly newsletter emailed to you in Welsh, please contact us at: 
nwisenquiries @wales.nhs.uk
  
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