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Reaping the rewards: The benefits of RiO

North East London Mental Health NHS Trust (NELMHT) is reaping the benefits of better patient care and valuable time savings since it started using the RiO system. The project, delivered by BT as part of the NHS London Programme for IT, commenced in 2006 and the trust went fully live in 2007.

 
 
NELMHT provides mental health services in the London boroughs of Barking and Dagenham, Havering, Redbridge and Waltham Forest, serving a community of almost one million. Prior to going live with the RiO system, the trust used a variety of computer and paper-based systems in each individual service. Information was difficult to track and share, electronic systems could not communicate and there was just one paper record available to view at a time. Through reporting the benefits from the deployment of RiO, the trust has been able to illustrate how using the system has driven service improvement, and led to better care for patients.
 
NELMHT’s chief executive Judy Wilson commented: “We are looking at really big benefits. RiO means it is so much easier to transfer data and drive forward quality, unified standards based on NICE guidelines. The deployment of RiO allowed the trust to drive forward a standard approach to service delivery across all four boroughs, which made the transformation to working together straightforward and quick.”
 
Some of the benefits have been:
  • Quicker access to case record information. Previously when searching and retrieving a paper case record, if the record was unavailable or filed in a different location it could take up to 24 hours to obtain.
  • Clinical processes have been standardised across all sites, resulting in reduced patient risk and delays. The electronic system has eliminated problems caused by illegible handwriting or missing dates.
  • Clinical risk assessments on the RiO system are now conducted as routine - the numbers being carried out jumped from an initial 50 to 500 per month, resulting in higher standards and improved patient care.
  • Better bed management due to the use of RiO bed lists, where staff have real time access to ward availability, has meant that time spent searching for beds has dropped from an average of 30 minutes to less than one minute.
  • Clinical and administration staff spend less time filling in assessment and referral forms, due to easy access to previous assessments. One member of staff said: “It makes everything we do quicker. Everything is quicker now – referrals, discharges, and communications between teams.”
Analysing benefit information helps highlight future service improvement opportunities, while demonstrating evidence of success helps other staff want to engage in future changes. The trust made sure it undertook baseline activity statistics such as Did Not Attend (DNA) and risk assessments prior to the deployment of RiO, so comparisons of important benefits could be easily made after go-live.
 
Judy Wilson added: “RiO is an excellent clinical tool, and to really get the benefits you need to ensure deployment is across all clinical and operational areas.”