REPORT OF THE

Cabinet / Leader

PART II

IT TO SUPPORT NURSING CARE HOMES

The Cabinet has approved 10 nursing homes to be built in Hampshire to provide additional nursing care capacity by creating up to 500 new places by 2006 aimed at improving the speed at which patients can be returned to the community. The new nursing care homes will be the first in the country to be built by a local authority and is the result of an innovative partnership developed by the County Council and the NHS. The programme has been supported by the development of a Clinical Governance Strategy for nursing and residential care to ensure that overall systems of accountability and assurances are put in place and to set standards for care and practice.

An important element of this programme is to ensure that appropriate IT systems are procured for the new homes for a number of reasons: to help meet regulations; to respond to the increasing demand for IT based records in respect of risk management; the e-Government timetable and the anticipated interest in obtaining data via the Freedom of Information Act which came into force on 1 January 2005. Additional benefits will include the minimisation of the administration and storage of paper records, increased efficiency, improved data accuracy and the achievement of a fully electronic social care and health record system.

The Cabinet made a decision on 13 December 2004 to proceed with the procurement and implementation of a suitable IT system. This decision supports Aims 1, 2, 5 and 6 of the Corporate Strategy (Maximising life opportunities, Stewardship of the environment, Improving services and Developing councillors and staff) by assisting the timely delivery of care services, minimising the use of paper within the service, improving productivity and providing staff with systems and resources to deliver appropriate services.

Subsequent to the decision being taken, Hawthorne Court in Fareham will be the first of the new homes to open and the implementation of the first phase of the IT system is scheduled during spring 2005.

T. K. THORNBER, C.B.E.,

Leader.