A new app that promises to revolutionise how families and healthcare professionals access care records has been launched today (3 March).
New research in the Good Care Guide shows that care home services are in a ‘dire state’ with short visits and missed and late appointments at the root of plummeting levels of satisfaction.
openPASS, by everyLIFE Technologies, enables a person’s up-to-date care record to be viewed in real time at their home or remotely via a smart phone, PC or tablet.
Related Article: Updated NHS App to help patients manage prescriptions
Aiming to unite health professionals and families, information via the app is available to all people involved in a patient’s care.
Professor Rob Darracott, chief executive of Pharmacy Voice, said: “By opening up patient data in a highly secure way, such as making social and summary care records available to community pharmacists, healthcare can be truly joined-up – while reducing red tape for clinicians.
“The role of openPASS in medicines management could also be crucial.
“There are many good reasons why older people may have to take a number of medicines concurrently, but it is neither good for them, nor for the wider NHS, if they are taking too many, especially if some are no longer effective, or if they are no longer taken as prescribed.
“openPASS has huge potential to stay on top of this.”
According to YouGov research commissioned by everyLIFE Technologies, 65% of respondents said having regular medicines reviews to ensure medicines are being taken correctly would help assure them their relative is safely cared for.
Related Article: Pharmacy First proves popular with public but supply issues cause concern
Devon GP and chair of everyLIFE’s professional advisory group, Dr Michael Dixon OBE, said: “For me, it’s about transparency and visibility.
“The ability for families and health professionals to view their relative's or patient's care records whenever they want is an obvious step forward to improving quality.
“It simply makes sense and often it’s the simplest steps that make the greatest difference.”
openPASS builds on the everyLIFE’s The PASSsystem, an intelligent care management platform launched a year ago, which allows information on each individual’s care to be recorded by care workers and analysed by their managers in real time.
Related Article: Starmer touts pharmacy-led weight loss jab drive in 10-year plan speech
The PASSsystem is currently used by more than 200 home care offices and 10 residential care homes.
Have your say
Please add your comment in the box below. You can include links, but HTML is not permitted. Please note that comments are not moderated before publication and the views expressed are those of the user and do not reflect the views of The Pharmacist. Remember that submission of comments is governed by our Terms and Conditions. You can also read our full guidelines on article comments here – but please be aware that you are legally liable for any libellous or offensive comments that you make. If you have a complaint about a comment or are concerned that a comment breaches our terms and conditions, please use the ‘Report this comment’ function to alert our web team.