Bath IT services firm IPL is celebrating a major award win for an innovative patient care information system built for its client North West Ambulance Service NHS Trust (NWAS).
IPL developed the Electronic Referral Information Sharing System (ERISS) system to help NWAS deliver the right care at the right time in the right place.
The system, which enables multiple care providers to securely share information and manage patients' care, landed the Innovation of the Year award at the 2014 ISD Network Informatics Awards. 
By using ERISS, Doctors and clinicians can flag up any conditions or care pathways a patient may have and share this information with ambulance crews, so ensuring paramedics administer the most appropriate care to the patients they see.
ERISS also enables ambulance crews to quickly and securely make patient care and safeguarding referrals to other providers, thereby helping to avoid unnecessary A&E attendances and helping to protect the vulnerable.
NWAS NHS Trust head of programme management office, Phill James, said: “The improvement in information sharing and decision making provided by ERISS has made a real difference to patients across the North West.
“We are thrilled to be recognised as an innovator in providing integrated patient care and look forward to adding exciting new features to ERISS that further enable us to deliver the right care, at the right time, in the right place.
IPL services director Simon Catley, pictured above, added: “Health informatics is a fast-growing area proving instrumental in the delivery of better patient care, and IPL and NWAS’s system has clearly demonstrated its worth.
“It’s inspiring to see the positive impact that cutting-edge systems such as ERISS can have on patient care and on relieving the pressure on NHS budgets.”
ERISS, which has more than 2,300 registered users, is playing an increasingly important role in providing integrated healthcare services in the North West. It has also been a finalist at the E-Health Insider Awards 2014.
