Devon Partnership NHS Trust

Project Background

Devon Partnership NHS Trust provides specialist mental health and learning disability services for the people of Devon, the South West region and nationally.

The Trust held over 13,500 archive boxes of historic paper health records in an off-site storage facility and 3,500 files on their own sites. They wanted to combine their records into one central archive facility and manage any ongoing paper storage requirements. The Trust tendered for a new provider as part of their ongoing procurement processes.

A key requirement for the secure archive storage service was the ability to provide a scan on demand solution to return digitised patient records quickly, on request, so they could be uploaded directly into CareNotes, the Trust’s electronic records management system.

This would enable Devon Partnership NHS Trust to have a more secure retrieval method and reduce ongoing retrieval costs. It would also provide a full electronic audit trail of their records and enable them to manage destruction dates efficiently.   Cleardata won the archiving project through a competitive tender process.

Solution

• Cleardata have collected 13,500 archive boxes to date from Devon Partnership NHS Trust over a 12 week period, with additional collections planned.
• Boxes were checked in using barcode technology to provide a full audit trail whilst stored offsite at Cleardata’s secure facility
• On arrival a validation check of the boxes against existing archive lists was completed.
• Any additional indexing requirements were processed.
• All records were indexed in Cleardata’s Cleardox Archive Management System, which provides an online statement of records stored offsite and allows the Trust to submit file requests, destruction requests and report on any physical activity or interaction with their records.
• Boxes were securely stored in Cleardata’s facility which features 24 hour CCTV, early smoke detection alert systems, Redcare security and biometric finger print entry.
• Scan on demand retrieval allows the trust to submit a file request and receive a digital copy within 2 hours via secure SFTP. Digitised records are returned by SFTP and loaded directly into their CareNotes – Electronic Records Management System.

Customer Feedback

“Cleardata were selected through a competitive tender process.  We chose them due to their secure archive storage facility, ability to collect our boxes within the required timescale, scan on demand service and Cleardox archive management system.  The company ticked all of our boxes for quality and information security requirements. We’ve been really impressed with their friendly approach.  Conversations with our Account Director Emma have offered practical help and suggestions to get the project completed.  Their scan on demand service has helped us to reduce physical retrieval costs and increase security of the data through an increase in digitisation. Scan on demand provides a much safer method of retrieval and enables us to load patient records directly into our CareNotes electronic records management system.”