Choose RecordRoom in your practice to modernise patient record storage and retrieval.
GP practices across the country are under strain due to increased demand, a lack of GPs and a growing need for more space.
We can’t solve all those problems, there are plenty of bigger brains working on the clinical and financial issues facing the sector!
But when it comes to creating space, records management has a role to play.
At Restore Information Management, our RecordRoom service is designed to help GP practices and Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) by taking patient records offsite.
According to the British Medical Association (BMA) there are 62.93m patients registered with GP practices in England in October 2023.
That means the average number of patients per each full-time equivalent GP is 2,229. Those figures underline why practices are under strain – but also suggest that rising numbers of patient records are taking up space which could be better used for patient care.
It’s a problem we see all the time – and we’ve been around long enough to know it.
Restore Information Management has been working with the NHS for more than 30 years (even though we look younger, of course). And we even recruit many of our employees from an NHS background. So, we understand many of the problems that GPs, nurses and clinicians are facing.
That’s why we’ve developed RecordRoom, a record management service for GPs and ICBs with an emphasis on the service.
With so much experience of the sector, we’ve been around long enough to know how to carefully and securely handle sensitive patient records – and we also know the benefits of moving those records off site.
It’s understandable that some practices are nervous. There’s a comfort in having records stored on site and close at hand.
But what GPs don’t always realise is just how much those records are taking up – and how records management has developed over the years to offer an offsite service which will not only free up that space but also create a more efficient and more secure patient record strategy. One that is good for patients and for doctors, nurses and support staff.
Here are some benefits of off-site storage to consider.
Release practice space to improve patient facilities such as easier patient access, waiting areas and treatment availability, or use the space for additional revenue generating activities.
Reduce the risk of lost, stolen or damaged records and the threat of losing records to fire or flood.
Your records will be stored offsite in NHS-approved facilities no more than 2 hours away from your practice.
Generate revenue with new Clinical Rooms and by offering additional services.
Improve patient access and waiting areas.
Improve working conditions and facilities for your team.
“Restore Information Management has been hugely accommodating, extremely responsive to any issues that have arisen and very easy to work with. Importantly, the feedback from the practices who have been involved with the project has also been positive.” Sarah Harwood, Senior Commissioning Manager Primary Care
It’s a pretty convincing list, even if we say so ourselves! But most important is the quality of the service, which can be seen as the first step to going digital.
Patient records stored with Restore Information Management can be digitised on receipt or demand – and you choose who can view your digital files. In fact, every access is recorded, creating an audit trail mix that keeps patients safe.
We also offer same-day physical delivery, with files collected to take back into storage at a time convenient to you. Every file is barcoded to ensure it is easily located.
Our storage facilities are expertly designed to manage records in a secure environment, and files travel in GPS-tracked vehicles whenever they are moved.
With secure facilities in over 50 locations across the whole of the UK, we are always close by, too.
Case study: RecordRoom in action
If you want proof then check out our case study with Oxfordshire CCG, now incorporated into OB Integrated Care Board.
It holds 90,000 patient files across eight practices, and we moved them all into offsite storage with Restore Information Management.
To minimise costs, practice staff boxed up the records capturing the start and end range. The files were then transported in one of our Restore Information Management Fleet of GPS- tracked vehicles to our secure facilities at Upper Heyford.
Restore Information Management completed the data capture of the box range on initial entry into the storage facility. This allowed access to the records for any emergency requirements during the file data entry stage – easing a concern that we often hear from practices when thinking about moving patient files off site.
Restore Information Management then undertook the data entry of each individual record, capturing the name, NHS number and Date of Birth of each patient and uploading the data onto their Records Management System.
Access to the files was then provided via Restore Information Management’s online portal, RestoreWeb, which allowed each practice to view what records had been stored and request them for retrieval.
The results
The new system resulted in improved secure patient records storage with fast retrieval and a better experience for employees and patients.
It also freed up much needed space for patient care – which was where we started this article in the first place!
Want to know more about RecordRoom?
Further insights
