Optimising Records Management: A Conversation with Harry Pettet

Reflecting on my time at Rewired, the opportunities that can be achieved by the NHS from maximising frontline productivity (FP) are increasingly clear to me. In line with the FP programme mandate, I saw a clear shift in focus from EPR roll-out to instead a wider scope which included championing digital enablement and adoption via effective change. 

This especially resonates with me and in my last blog I reminded us that technology doesn’t solve problems on its own…

I went on to highlight that if we get the people, process and product right, we can actually deliver results that have a transformational impact. This is where I see an opportunity for Records Management and EDMS to aid NHS Trusts.

EDM Healthcare Consulting specialise in Records Management within the NHS so I thought I’d sit down with their Managing Director, Harry Pettet to get his views on this…

Q: Is there synergy between optimised Health Records Management and the FP programme?

Absolutely! The FP programme is not focusing on buying more technology, its aspiration is now to exploit technology through optimisation. Most NHS Trusts now have an Electronic Document Management System (EDMS) but many also still have significant volumes of paper Health Records. So, how about we use the technology and capabilities we already have to reduce either the amount of paper we store and manage or the cost of doing so. To make that a recipe for success however, we need effective transformational change to be delivered the right way. 

Q: So, is it all still about digitisation of paper records still?

Yes and no. We find many NHS Trusts don’t actually have any plan for ALL their paper. For most, current/active records have been digitised but there are often large volumes of un-digitised archived records still in storage with no clear strategy on what the mid to long term approach to managing them is. Whilst the answer varies based on the organisation type and its digital maturity, the question remains the same: how can we optimise our Records Management? As a result, it may be sensible for a Trust to continue to store paper as paper, but consolidate storage contracts with other NHS Trusts in the region or ICB catchment. Consolidation can introduce economies of scale, in-turn providing Trusts with more favourable pricing.  

Q: But why does it matter, especially given much of the remaining paper is inactive/archived?  

Great question. There are 2 key reasons; compliance and cost. We need to adhere to our legal obligations for managing and providing access to them and as a result, cost is incurred. This cost isn’t trivial either. In fact, we can see from NHS data that the NHS spends over £1 billion every 5 years managing paper and this cost is increasing year on year.  

Q: So regional / group-based initiatives play a key role in helping reduce costs then? 

Yes, 100%. This is our current focus to help Trusts both consolidate contracts and share services across group, regional and ICB catchment landscapes. It’s not all about contract management either – an example of this is scanning. Many NHS Trusts have implemented internal scanning capabilities, navigating both cost and complexity. The idea of increasing productivity by not only using existing technology but also by sharing and developing existing services really excites us here at EDM Healthcare Consulting. 

Thank you for taking your time Harry to answer my questions. Always insightful. Lots to do, but together we can make real positive change!

Next blog will cover what the Northern Care Alliance (NCA) are doing to improve end user education in data quality. They have taken an active, novel approach and it’s working well!