Building on a previous partnership

We’ve been scanning medical records for more than 20 years, with a proven track record of flexible, end-to-end services. In [early 2022], NHS Lincolnshire asked us to digitise the historical records of 140,000 patients across a group of 14 practices. The paper records from the remaining 26 practices would be stored offsite by a third party supplier and driven to any requestors on a weekly basis.

When this supplier said they would cease providing this storage and delivery service, the team at NHS Lincolnshire needed to act fast. They asked for our help with retrieving the files, keeping them safe and making them available faster than before.

Creating a solution and mobilising quickly

We agreed to collect the files, store them in our secure business centre and digitise them on demand within 24 hours of receiving a request. This included liaising with the supplier on the right collection times, arranging lorries to transport the files to our centre in Nottingham and cataloguing the boxes for fast retrieval in the future. Within four days, we were ready to start scanning on demand.

With the previous supplier, practice managers would collate requests from GPs and then wait a week for the relevant files to arrive. Now, the files are available within 24 hours of a request.

Keeping an eye on the detail

Medical records contain sensitive and potentially life-saving information, which means every detail is vital. Often, older records can be folded or stapled, meaning even our high-capacity scanners can’t work on their own. That’s why we have a highly skilled team that unpacks the records, scans them, and checks that the digital image captures every last detail correctly. It’s then uploaded to our secure cloud service and a link sent to the requesting GP.

For other clients, this same team will also update the practice’s own patient records system, so the digital file is ready instantly. Once the records have been digitised, they can be uploaded to the practice’s Clinical System, such as TPP SystmOne or Egton Medical Information Systems (EMIS). NEC and EMIS have digitised over 300 GP Practices across England.

NEC are also able to present all digitsed records to practices using our secure viewing portal, no matter which clinical system your practice uses.

Helping NHS Lincolnshire to stay focused on patients

Now the records are stored securely in one place, scanned carefully and available faster, NHS Lincolnshire and the 40 practice managers can focus 100% on patient care.