85% of GP practices in the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough area now use an electronic data sharing system designed by practitioners, patients, IT specialists and commissioners in the region. This initiative is underpinned by research carried out by Dr Mila Petrova and Dr Stephen Barclay at the Primary Care Unit’s Palliative and End of Life Care Group.

The data sharing system, clinically led by Dr Barclay, enables GPs, Community Nursing teams and Palliative Care teams to record key information and share data about patients at the end of life and their carers, across the health and social care system, with their consent.

A Clinical Dashboard supports GP practice teams’ Palliative care patient reviews, and a Business Intelligence Dashboard enables comparison of the CCGs’ GP practices on six key process measures of optimal End of Life care.

The electronic template includes materials for patients and their carers, such as information about bereavement support services and setting up a Lasting Power of Attorney. Clinicians can access Do Not Attempt Cardio-pulmonary Resuscitation (DNACPR) and Recommended Summary Plan for Emergency Care and Treatment (ReSPECT) forms, as well as guidance for anticipatory and syringe driver prescribing.

This “Electronic Palliative Care Coordination System” has been recently featured as a national exemplar in a case study in the national report Care after Caring, prepared by The National Bereavement Alliance and Hospice UK for NHS England.

Find out more

See more about the Prepared to Share research

See more about the Electronic Palliative Care Coordination System in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough

Queries: Lucy Lloyd, Communications Manager, Primary Care Unit