NDS* has been working with colleagues in NHS Scotland, Scottish Government and Apperta to create a national Electronic Patient Record (EPR) for eyecare services in Scotland. This once for Scotland approach forms part of the Scottish Government’s National Eyecare Workstream and is a game-changer for eye care services. Using OpenEyes, the open-source Ophthalmic EPR, we have helped create a service that will allow eyecare records to be shared across primary and secondary care and stored using the National Digital Platform for health and care.

The robust and secure service will help NHS Boards in Scotland digitise their clinical workflows, improve outcomes by reducing waiting times and hospital visits, and ensure clinicians are better informed by having clinical information in one accessible place.

John Olson, Consultant Ophthalmic Physician at NHS Grampian and Scottish Government Clinical Lead on the project said:

“The National Ophthalmology Electronic Patient Record is a prime example of how it is possible to have a ‘Once for Scotland’ approach that helps both patients receiving eyecare treatments and staff involved in its provision. The ability to share eyecare data using OpenEyes on the National Digital Platform means that this information will be available to eyecare practitioners across Scotland in a safe, appropriate and accessible way.”

*NES Digital Service (NDS) was set up in 2018 to create the National Digital Platform for health and social care data in Scotland. They are a team based in NHS Education for Scotland, the education and training Board for the NHS. The overall goal is to create systems and products that will help people have the right healthcare information in a safe, accessible and appropriate way. The National Digital Platform will ensure that key things are done in one way across Scotland, such as how people are identified and where clinical data is stored, avoiding different logins for every system and duplicating information