As a result of historic investment and forward-planning for developments in informatics, the Salford Royal Foundation Trust is currently in an enviable position as one of the most digitally mature NHS Trusts in England.
The Trust’s EPR system was implemented in 1999 and now holds 1.3 million patient records, with millions of documents, diagnoses and diagnostic results.
This wealth of clinical data has proved to be a powerful research resource, with a number of successful studies carried out by partner organisation North West Ehealth.
Additionally, SRFT has been chosen as one of the twelve organisations to take part in the Global Digital Excellence programme. It will be funded to accelerate them towards achieving Healthcare Information Management Systems Society (HIMSS) level 6 and 7 status.
There will be a strong emphasis on standardisation of systems (Snomed CT, GS1 and FHIR) and these technologies will form the basis of a powerful interoperability platform, providing a much improved research resource.