Since it started using RiO in 2007, North East London NHS Foundation Trust has reaped the benefits of being able to provide better client care, as well as staff working more effectively and efficiently. The Trust provides mental health services in the London boroughs of Barking and Dagenham, Havering, Redbridge and Waltham Forest, serving a community of almost one million people.
Prior to RiO, 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. RiO has driven significant service improvements and led to better care for clients.
The Trust’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 and 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.” Thanks to RiO, the Trust’s staff are experiencing benefits in all these areas:
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Lambeth PCT has demonstrated how, by introducing the RiO system and embracing the changes involved, it has transformed its community healthcare and delivered valuable benefits to both staff and patients. The Trust initially started with a programme to use RiO in four areas: in-patients, supported discharge, podiatry and customer services. This was followed by universal and specialist child health, haemoglobinopathies, community nursing, adult therapies out-patients, housebound podiatry, community dietetics and complementary therapies clinic.
Before RiO, 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 with each other and there was just one paper record available to view at a time. Through the deployment of RiO, the Trust has been able to demonstrate how the system has driven service improvement and led to better care for patients.
Thanks to RiO, the Trust’s staff are experiencing benefits in all these areas:
“Within two months of using RiO I found myself wondering how I ever did without it.”
Staff Nurse, Elderly Care Unit
"Now that we have access to all the PCT clinic schedules, we were able to help a distressed patient after she had accidentally missed her appointment. We found an empty appointment at another PCT clinic, with the same podiatrist the next morning. Before RiO we only knew about our own clinic appointments.”
Receptionist
“RiO means that we can now see contemporaneous records and progress notes from each others caseloads and it is so useful having the ‘Alert’ function. It will give us a useful flag to ensure looked after children are cared for better.”
Team Lead - Looked After Children
“Having our new birth feed within 24 hours helps us support ‘at risk’ and child protection children much easier – it used to depend on the internal mail system which was not always efficient.”
Health visitor
“It took several weeks getting used to RiO but now having the patient’s whole record available at the press of one button is excellent – we no longer have to pull and re-file folders.”
Podiatrist
“RiO will help us find out important details about our new patients and learn what is happening to them with other teams or disciplines, such as outpatient physiotherapy or podiatry – a holistic system at last.”
District Nurse