NHS care trust

Ensuring safe, quick access to medical information

INDUSTRY

CHALLENGE:

SOLUTION:

VALUE:

• Full compliance with increased security and efficiency
• Improved information retrieval and lifecycle management
• Ability to embrace change and advance digital healthcare vision

In Iron Mountain we have an expert company that’s always reliable and responds at speed.

Information Governance Manager
NHS Care Trust

SCAN-ON-DEMAND-SERVICE

NHS changes are already in full swing and certain responsibilities are moving from the Trust to a new larger organisation. That move motivated the addition of a scan-on-demand service. Iron Mountain ran a pilot which included the necessary secure FTP internet link and a training programme. The Trust then quality checked a random sample before moving to a full scan-on-demand service within two months.

In the latest development, Iron Mountain is back-scanning all active files. A process workbook complements the BSI compliant scan-on-demand service, and these measures mean that the scanned documents may be admissible in court, without the need to provide original paper copies.

The Information Governance Manager says: “Iron Mountain took the scan-on demand directive in their stride. In Iron Mountain, we have an expert company that’s always reliable and responds at speed. Their employees work as a team and take extraordinary care. I can’t find fault with any aspect of the service I receive.” The scanned copies are transmitted to the Trust by secure FTP transfer for local server storage. Copies are retained and securely stored by Iron Mountain. The originals can then be destroyed in legally-compliant fashion. Inactive files can also be scanned and made available if required.

DRIVING TOWARDS DIGITAL HEATHCARE

All this is enabling the Trust to move to a fully electronic storage environment. The multi-user system allows healthcare professionals to access the same notes simultaneously, while such a virtual environment offers the flexibility needed to accommodate organisational changes within the NHS.

Under the current Information Governance Manager’s stewardship, the Trust is establishing best practice in healthcare records management. Other NHS organisations are known to be following that lead.

Digitising records cuts transport costs, benefits the environment and increases the speed of service. It also means that patients can be treated more quickly and that their information is kept safe.

“We have to comply with strict tendering processes, and we conduct thorough comparability studies. We know for sure that Iron Mountain rates are very reasonable. They also offer flexible commercial terms,” concludes the Information Governance Manager. “But, to be honest, the peace of mind that comes with using Iron Mountain is beyond price.”