Computer based records in joint health and social services teams

January 29th, 2007 by Madmutt

I work as a social worker in a joint health and social services mental health team. Whilst front line staff and first line managers in the team work extremely well together in the best interests of the patients, the differing objectives, cultures and structures of the NHS and social services departments cause huge frustrations. For me this is seen most clearly in IT systems. My team has two seperate systems which cannot talk to each other and data has to been entered twice. As a result we don’t use computer based clinical records and we have to use inefficient paper based systems. When will the powers at be (in local government and the NHS) get to grips with this problem? All I experience at the moment is one organisation trying to persuade the staff of the other organisation to use their system. When will we get a computer based records system which is equally owned and managed by local government and the NHS? I fear never. The NHS will impose its solution as it always does!

Rant over!

3 Responses to “Computer based records in joint health and social services teams”

  1. on 29 Jan 2007 at 9:37pm1 Auntie Doris

    The CMHT’s in my area use particular programme for all their clinical records and data… it is absolutely rubbish! It takes forever to grind into action and is complicated and ‘clunky’ to use.

    In the CDAT’s however we have a pretty basic system which allows us to keep all our clinical records on one system, as well as issue prescriptions etc.

    So, guess which system to powers the be want us to start using? *sigh*

  2. on 29 Jan 2007 at 11:22pm2 Madmutt

    Sometimes I wonder if health managers know the meaning of the phrase, “common sense”!

  3. on 30 Jan 2007 at 5:32pm3 Auntie Doris

    Nope… it’s on their job descriptions as ‘not essential to the role’.

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