Elemental and EMIS enable GPs to take social prescribing to the next level
Over 4,300 GPs will now have the potential to monitor their patients’ entire social prescribing journey through two-way integration between Elemental Software’s platform and EMIS Web, it is announced today.
A new significant enhancement to Elemental Software’s integration with EMIS Web has resulted in over 100 Primary Care Networks and 4,300 GPs having the potential to access full-circle data regarding patient referrals for social prescribing.
“The new functionality that Elemental has developed is going to take social prescribing to the next level. The fact that GPs can now see the uptake and impact of the social prescribing referrals they make, within the patient record in EMIS Web is groundbreaking. It will further strengthen the relationship we have with the community and voluntary sector and benefit our patients considerably.” Dr Rajesh Rajan, GP CWP Westminster Surgery, Clinical Director of Primary Care, CWP NHSFT
GP’s using EMIS Web now have the opportunity for a complete view of a patients journey and can make and manage referrals, as well as reporting back on their Social Prescribing Directed Enhanced Services (DES) Primary Care Network (PCN) funding.
During the Pandemic, an increase in social isolation and mental health concerns has meant that NHS resources have been stretched worryingly thin. As a result, GPs have been under a huge amount of pressure to ease the strain on the front line, while keeping patients safe and ensuring they get the care they need.
Social prescribing is a method of referring people towards non-medical sources of support within the community to help them improve their overall wellbeing, via a social prescribing link worker. This can include activities like fitness classes, gardening clubs, and healthy cooking programmes.
Elemental’s digital social prescribing platform is currently used by over 1,500 social prescribing link workers across the UK and Ireland.
Until now, GPs were able to gain information on and connect patients with sources of support within the community. However, it wasn’t always easy to receive information back after the referral to gain a full picture of the impact of the social prescribing referral for the patient. With the new two-way integration between Elemental and EMIS Web, this is now a reality.
Leeann Monk Ozgul, Co-Founder and Chief Operations Officer at Elemental, said: “For the last three years we have been working in partnership with 1000s of forward-thinking GPs across the UK who use our existing integration within EMIS. The feedback from the GPs has been great as they said it has made it so much easier for them to refer their patients into their local social prescribing hubs. However, with the introduction of the PCN DES Funding for social prescribing, there were extra reporting demands on the PCNs time.
“We worked with a number of GPs to co-design how Elemental could enhance their current integration to make reporting for them much easier whilst also ensuring their patients were fully supported by providing the PCNs, with a 360-degree view of a social prescribing journey. Now we are proud to share with you all about this exciting new integration enhancement.”
In England, the NHS Long Term Plan states that nearly one million people will qualify for referral to social prescribing schemes by 2024. Research conducted by the University of Westminster found that such schemes have the potential to cut GP consultation rates by 28% and A&E attendance by 24%.
Dr Faisal Maassarani, GP Partner, Dr Maasarani and Partners & Co-founder Care Merseyside, said,
“This is a great opportunity to see the outcomes of the holistic care that our patients receive as a result of our referrals within our very limited 10-minute windows.”
For more information on how Elemental can help regions to establish, enhance and scale the uptake and impact of social prescribing, visit https://www.elementalsoftware.co
About Elemental Software
Elemental Software is the UK and Ireland’s leading provider of social prescribing technology. Elemental is an award-winning tech for good company with the purpose of empowering and enabling individuals, families and their carers to better connect into community-based programmes, services and interventions that make a positive impact on their lives.
Through their innovative digital platform, Elemental enable localities and regions to establish, develop and scale the social prescribing model of care. They work with local councils, health and social care trusts, community and voluntary sector organisations, housing associations, prisons and education organisations, such as universities, to co-design and deliver better community and wellbeing outcomes.
