Staff of Northland District Health Board has been given access to data of patients in all Northland hospices via the hospices’ PalCare system that holds electronic records of all Northland’s Hospice patients.
GPs and practice nurses are already able to view and contribute to the patients’ notes on PalCare. However, NHB said that it and North Haven Hospice had being trying to several years to widen the sharing of information to enable more timely, patient and wh?nau centred care.
Dr Warrick Jones, medical director, North Haven Hospice, said: “The patients we care for are keen for information to be shared by everyone caring for them so there is a clear understanding of what each team is doing.
“This is particularly important when a patient who is known to hospice presents to the emergency department but only part of the patient’s history and care plan is available to the clinicians.
He added: “This will enable the DHB staff to see the current care plans, medication that is being used and most importantly, what the patient’s priorities are.
“We are convinced that with the clinical and allied health staff at the Northland DHB having access to PalCare this will add value to the care being delivered to our mutual patients.”