Leading community dental services provider CDS CIC has become the first dental provider to be granted full access to NHS Spine, a national patient portal service that allows the sharing of patient’s clinical details between health providers to support clinicians at work and helps patients to get the best care.
Working with NHS Digital National Care Records Teams, CDS Essex is currently piloting full use of the system over a four-month period with the view to full access being extended across the whole of the organisation soon.
Historically, whilst some dental providers have been able to access a limited section of the portal allowing the checking of NHS numbers and GP details, full access to patient’s care and medical history summaries has been restricted to just GP’s and hospitals. Opening the full system to CDS enables its clinicians and Senior Dental Nurses direct access to medical summaries, rather than contacting the GP in writing. Patients will benefit by a reduction in lost appointments and delays to treatment.
Glen Taylor, Chief Operating Officer (East) & Associate Clinical Director, said: “Being able to access the medical records via NHS Spine will decrease administration for our clinical teams, which in turn will help our patients. CDS helps to care for some of the most vulnerable dental patients. Being able to access such records will ensure our teams can support their patients’ care needs.”
Nicola Bushell, Operations Manager for CDS Essex, said: “I am delighted that CDS can pilot use of the full NHS Spine system, allowing us access to important medical summaries of our patients, which is crucial for those who have complex medical histories or are attending a General Anaesthetic. CDS brings dental care to people who cannot easily be treated in general dental practices. Our patients typically have learning disabilities, mental health issues or severe anxiety, so having full access to NHS Spine reduces waiting time between treatments when we previously would be requesting the information from their GPs, enabling a smoother patient journey.”
