At the weekend the government announced a funding increase of £20bn a year by 2023 as a 70th 'birthday present' for the NHS. That figure suggests that the annual budget of £114bn will rise by 3.4%. Will it come from tax rises or a potential benefit of Brexit? Either way, the cash injection is much needed and most welcome. But the question now being posed is how best to spend it? Undoubtedly every department will make a strong claim on the new funds. Finding ways to get the most out of new resources is essential. Pressure is increasingly on maximising clinical care and reducing the costs associated with administrative functions within the vast NHS estate. One area where that additional investment will be wisely made is on secure off-site medical records storage and digitising patient files.
In 2016 Tim Kelsey, NHS England’s National Director for Patients and Information and chair of the National Information Board, stated: “Health and social care services in England must end the unnecessary reliance on paper in the treatment of patients. It’s key to making services safer, more effective and more efficient. Every day, care is held up, and patients are kept waiting while an army of people transport and store huge quantities of paper round our healthcare system.” Off-site medical records storage and the digitisation of patient files is proven to be successful across the board. But it is essential for NHS departments and GP surgeries to choose a partner with the expertise to handle the most confidential records.
With years of experience, CAS is a specialist in sophisticated archive storage, including secure patient records storage. Storing medical records off-site in CAS warehouses is cost-effective, as it frees up space at GP surgeries. Whether it’s a digital or hard copy, all documents are stored in high-security, fire-proofed warehousing
Secure, off-site medical records storage
GP surgeries choosing off-site storage with CAS can still fulfil obligations set out by the health sector regulator, the Care Quality Commission (CQC). Our professional document handling services ensure compliance with the 2014 NHS England Confidentiality Policy. CAS is an ISO certified provider with industry-leading accreditation, which should assure GP practices that we can provide the highest standards of secure document storage.
Accessing patient records digitally
Our Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) and live-file storage systems deliver a highly efficient medical records storage service.
CAS deploys state-of-the-art RFID to individually bar-code and scan storage boxes across all our storage facilities. RFID is one of the most advanced systems to track clients’ documents. It provides new levels of accuracy and efficiency far beyond standard barcode management. RFID systems support UK and EU data protection regulations, while RFID asset tracking means faster, more cost-effective report generation. It also enables comprehensive audits to be performed in close to real-time, and a secure audit trail of all clients’ transactions.
With our fully hosted live-file storage system, records that are in constant use can be retrieved, updated and returned to storage 24/7. CAS’s online file storage system comes with customised search criteria. This enables authorised personnel to access records remotely from anywhere in the UK. This is facilitated through an advanced and secure, password-protected online portal.
Expertise and experience in the medical sector
You can read our case study on our work with Cambridgeshire Community Services NHS Trust. This involved relocating and digitising over 20,000 confidential client health care files, which has enabled primary care staff to deliver increased support to children and young people.
To find out more about our secure patient records storage services, contact one of the CAS team today.
- Email: Info@CAS.ltd
- Call: 0845 50 50 003
- Website
About CAS medical records storage
CAS provides comprehensive and secure medical records storage, scan on demand, and facilities management services. For more than 20 years CAS have worked with NHS Trusts, Financial Services providers, and corporate and private clients. Our head office is just four miles from the City of London. Supported by our advanced storage centres across the UK. CAS has an impressive array of International certifications (ISOs). These prove our compliance with the strictest national, European and international laws. They also demonstrate our commitment to provide innovative systems on security, confidentiality and quality control. Together these guarantee that we keep your medical records storage safe and well managed.
