We are the first hospice to use Shared Digital Patient Record

We are the first hospice to use Shared Digital Patient Record

Established in 1985, Saint Catherine’s is a Scarborough-based hospice delivering palliative and end of life care to over 3,000 patients a year. Covering over 1,600 square miles across North and East Yorkshire, Saint Catherine’s has around 160 staff and over 400 volunteers. 

In January 2023 Saint Catherine’s was the first hospice to go live with using the Yorkshire and Humber Shared Care Record (YHCR). This is a digital record of a patient that holds vital information from across care settings, including hospitals, GPs, social and community services. Having access to patient information via the YHCR allows appropriate hospice staff to quickly check a patient’s history, allergies, medications and importantly for Saint Catherine’s, their end-of-life care wishes.

Sarah Holloway, Team Leader for Community Palliative Care at Saint Catherine’s, said: “Having access to the Shared Care Record has been a game changer for us. Whether we are in the hospice or visiting patients in their home, using our laptops we can see at a glance the medical record from one place and any notes from other clinicians about the patient including their care wishes. This gives everyone confidence at a very difficult time.”

Sarah Callin, Medical Director at Saint Catherine’s, said: “We have already seen great benefits from using the Yorkshire & Humber Shared Care Record. It means we can access information quickly and in a variety of different settings, both in and out of the hospice.”

Sue Boulton, IPU Junior Sister, said: “One of the most important factors is that we can have access to patients’ care plans and wishes. This is essential in offering the very best standard of care for each individual.”

May 8 – 14 is also Dying Matters Awareness Week, where communities across the country are encouraged to come together to talk about death, dying and grief in the workplace.

We spend so much of our lives at work – and we shouldn’t have to hide our experiences of death and dying from our colleagues, our peers, or our bosses. Hospice UK want to create open and compassionate society where we are comfortable facing the realities of dying, death and grief.

By talking to those around you, you can help us make sure that workplaces are properly set up to support people who are ill, who are caring for those around them, or who have lost someone close to them.

To learn more about Dying Matters Awareness Week, head to www.hospiceuk.org/dying-matters-awareness-week