encompass Benefits
encompass has been set up to help improve Health and Social Care in Northern Ireland.
Benefits for everyone
encompass will make it possible for patients, or a relative or caregiver acting on their behalf, to stay better informed. It will also enable them to manage their own health and social care experience.
encompass will allow patients or their carers to:
- View, make, and manage their appointments
- View test results
- View health and wellbeing information about them and their condition
- Manage medicines and prescriptions
- Choose how they want to communicate to health and social care staff
- Contact health and care professionals directly
- Provide information before going to appointments, allowing for more time with care professionals
encompass will provide improved continuity of care for HSC patients, clients and service users.
- Those who deliver care will have secure access to real-time patient information, helping to reduce duplication of services and minimising the risk of errors
- Patients will not have to repeat information to different professionals providing care or have to repeat tests in different locations
- Patients will be able to provide relevant, up-to-date information to support the professionals looking after them to manage their condition better
Benefits for HSC staff:
encompass is a Health and Social Care Northern Ireland (HSCNI) wide initiative that will introduce a clinically and operationally led integrated electronic care record to every citizen in Northern Ireland. It is being introduced to help improve Health and Social Care services in Northern Ireland. Having one record will reduce the need for information to be stored across a lot of older systems. It will also allow healthcare staff to see the right information at the right time. Staff will be able to work more effectively because they won’t need a lot of paper forms and will be able to spend more time with patients, clients, and services users. encompass will help contribute positively to patient safety as the system will help prevent mistakes being made.
One patient, one record, one system, one place
- A new electronic system with all patient information in one place
- No paper files and a single spot for information as encompass replaces many old computer systems
- Improved patient safety and quality of care
- Safe and private patient information
- Patients will not have to repeat their stories or have repeated tests
- Improved outcomes and preventative care to prevent ill health
- Information to help give patients with long term conditions the ongoing support they need.
- Better planning for services by giving us good quality information
Improved patient safety and quality of care
- Fewer mistakes when prescribing medicine
- Fewer mistakes when giving medicine
- Lower risk of hospital acquired venous thromboembolism (VTE)
- Fewer deaths from Sepsis
- Lower Risk Adjusted Mortality index scores
- Better access to information on mobile technology while in the community
- Faster access to information no matter where care takes place
Better access to patient and client information at point of care
- Many staff will have mobile technology. This means that they can see the information they need wherever they are. It also means they can record any new information right away.
- Health care staff will be able to order tests, write notes, record diagnoses, prescribe medicine, refer, and send messages to their patients in one system.
Improved work processes for those providing and supporting care
- Teamwork is easier, handovers of care are safer and quicker.
- Less duplication and form filling.
- Less money will be spent on producing, storing, and managing paper records and forms.
- More time spent caring for patients and clients.
Page last updated: 1 February 2024