BigHand backs the 2018 paperless NHS agenda with digital document storage solution, Last Letters.

BigHand, leaders in digital dictation, speech recognition and workflow solutions, demonstrate their full support of the 2018 paperless NHS initiative with new digital clinical correspondence storage, search and retrieval solution, Last Letters.

Healthcare professionals such as Consultants, Registrars, Specialist Nurses and Medical Secretaries require rapid access to past patient documents, including clinical correspondence in order to give a high quality of patient care. Traditionally, medical professionals have been expected to search multiple document archives in order to retrieve records. Record-keeping systems can be difficult to navigate and spread across different departments, meaning even the limited scope of finding an outpatient clinic letter can be highly labour intensive.

In response to this ineffective system, BigHand has developed Last Letters, a lightweight solution that digitalises, organises and stores clinical correspondence in an electronically searchable library. By implementing a digital solution like Last Letters, healthcare organisations can save time and money, as well as being able to meet the 2018 paperless working initiative. Peter Jones, Healthcare Project Manager at BigHand comments: “The paperless agenda is not only about automating document storage and retrieval, but about creating safer and more efficient health and social care services that use technology to benefit professionals and patients alike. The 2018 initiative is clearly becoming a priority within the industry as we’re seeing a significant shift in the way organisations look to archive records.”

Last Letters works in conjunction with the BigHand Clinic Builder to provide a complete end-to-end document workflow. At the point of saving a document, an electronic copy is made and stored in the Last Letters web-based document library. Documents can be retrieved by simply searching for a patient’s key information such as name, date of birth or NHS number; a complete history of correspondence can be accessed with just one click. By storing and retrieving correspondence in this way, clinicians are able to get a clear, holistic view of a patient’s case prior to an appointment or making a diagnosis.

BigHand Last Letters is a highly secure and fully auditable solution that leverages security features from Active Directory and Microsoft SharePoint to ensure all access is recorded and strictly restricted to those who need it. Peter concludes: “We are excited to be able to offer organisations a solution that will enable them to achieve the goal of paperless working by 2018.”