As the trade body for the clinical homecare industry, the NCHA represents the majority of homecare providers across the UK. This is an essential but challenging responsibility as we are committed to ensuring that patients receive the best possible care. Managing paper documents and prescriptions became particularly difficult during and since the COVID-19 pandemic which restricted physical contact.
As a result, there were delays in patients receiving the care and medication they needed. It was following this period that the NCHA began looking for a digital solution that could help our providers improve efficiency in their document processes and optimise their healthcare services for patients. We partnered with E-Sign to establish a bespoke solution that could meet the specific needs of our healthcare organisations.
What key issues did E-Sign address?
The NCHA had several providers that required an efficient digital solution, one trust was a hospital with 3 sites and prescriptions regularly needed to be transferred across between sites as part of the routine process. This was very stressful and time-consuming as the hospital was transferring hundreds of paper prescriptions on a daily basis. Other issues included:
- The increased risk of misplacing documents as well as significant time delays during prescription transport.
- Huge time investments were also needed to complete mitigating mechanisms and audit logs.
- Maintaining ongoing compliance with NHS and individual trust requirements relating to Information Governance and Security.
- Each step in the process requires a lot of time including the time taken to move onto the next stage, which can cause delays and increase stress and anxiety for patients.
What outcomes were achieved for the NCHA when using E-Sign?
E-Sign played a crucial role in helping the NCHA streamline their prescription processes and ensure greater efficiency in patient care. Below are some of the key successes E-Sign and the NCHA have achieved through their digital transformation.
- Prescription process time was reduced by 80%, from 2 days to 2 hours.
- A reduction of 9,172kg in CO2 over 12 months (including paper and envelopes).
- £95,324.44 in annual savings from kWh reduction (based on mailing)
- By minimising paper usage, the equivalent of 510 trees have been saved, a key step in the global effort to reduce carbon emissions.
- In terms of qualitative data, staff reported an improved audit log and less delays due to multiple staff being assigned to prescriptions in case of absences.
Read the full case study here.
Updates from the NCHA
Since the implementation of E-Sign, the NCHA has seen a month on month increase in usage with various homecare providers, as it meets expectations in the promises and benefits it offers. Additionally, despite the well-known slow uptake of digital solutions within the NHS for various reasons, the NCHA has been pleasantly surprised by how quickly E-Sign has been picked up and adopted across the industry.
As E-Sign’s partnership with the NCHA has continued to develop, we caught up with Chief Executive Chris Carver who shared positive updates for how the platform is working for them. He said;
“The NCHA are more than satisfied with E-Sign as it delivers what it promises and supports the growth of projects, offering several useful benefits for our homecare providers. By transitioning to a secure digital platform, we have been able to streamline and provide the highest standard of care and service to patients. We look forward to continuing our work with E-Sign and helping other homecare providers embrace the efficiency of digital prescription solutions.”
Thomas Taylor, Managing Director of E-Sign, said:
“The healthcare sector has often been left relying upon outdated paper-based processes, which causes significant delays and frustration for both staff and patients. E-Sign are delighted to work with the NCHA and continually optimise their prescription management. Through this they can improve the patient experience with homecare providers and streamline administration in a secure and efficient way.”
Start your digital journey with E-Sign
E-Sign is an industry-leading electronic signature and digital document solutions provider, working in a wide range of sectors, including healthcare. Our extensive work with organisations within healthcare have allowed us to develop an in-depth understanding of the challenges that they face on a daily basis. Therefore, we have the knowledge, tools, and experience to provide bespoke services that solve those challenges.
If you’d like to learn more about E-Sign and the services they can provide to the healthcare sector, you can head to their website and get in touch with their friendly sales team.