Practices in Croydon primary care trust (PCT) were amongst the earliest pioneers of GP2GP, a service that enables patients' electronic health records to be transferred directly and securely between GP practices.

Dr Guhendran Ravi-Shanker

One of the biggest champions of GP2GP within the PCT has been Hilary Ellis, practice manager at St James Medical Centre and Castle Hill Surgery in Croydon. Together with two other practices in the area, Hilary saw St James and Castle Hill 'go live' with GP2GP in December 2006.

"GP2GP has made a big difference to our GP practices. I was very keen for us to be one of the first to introduce GP2GP in the area after hearing about it being piloted in the Isle of Wight. I thought it was a brilliant idea and I wanted to help bring our practice into the digital age.

"It was clear that GP2GP would make our working practices much easier so it made sense to join up at the beginning.

"We serve a population of 8,000 patients – this has increased by over 1,000 people in the last year alone, so having GP2GP in place to deal with the transfer of new records is great!"

Reducing the burden of paper workload

"Before GP2GP, getting hold of new patients' records from their previous practice was quite complicated and very time consuming. Within Croydon, it would usually take from four to six weeks to receive the records, but if the patient was from outside the area, it could take anything up to six months! But with GP2GP, it now takes just a couple of minutes which makes a massive difference!"

GP2G2 enables an almost instantaneous transfer of a patient's electronic health record, providing GPs with immediate knowledge of the patient's current health status and full medical history.

Before GP2GP, this information would have to be summarised and manually entered onto the GP clinical system every time a patient registered at a new GP surgery.

"We are dependent upon the accuracy of the record keeping and data recorded of other GPs, nurses and practice staff. But having said that, data quality has improved significantly in recent years with the introduction of the Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF) and will continue to improve with practices applying for 'paper-light' status.

"Everything transfers across in one quick step and is automatically filed into the relevant sections of the patient's record. At first I thought "it can't be as simple as that? But it really is. I think it's fantastic!"

Interoperable record transfers

In February 2007, GP practices in Croydon were provided with additional functionality to allow two-way transfers between EMIS and INPS GP clinical systems.

"St James and Castle Hill both use INPS Vision and being able to transfer records between us and EMIS practices couldn't be simpler," says Hilary.

"As with any IT changes, I was a little apprehensive at first, but I am pleased to say that EMIS-to-INPS transfers are working really well. Health records are transferring with no problems whatsoever and the data quality is excellent!"

Continuity of care and enhanced patient safety

Like Hilary Ellis, Dr Guhendran Ravi-Shanker is a champion of the new software and the benefits GP2GP brings to his practice.

"GP2GP is a fantastic example of how IT can support seamless continuity of care. It really works! From the moment a patient registers with the practice, I have a responsibility for that patient's care and the most important thing for me is being able to continue with the ongoing management of that patient's treatment.

"With GP2GP I can do this immediately. It makes such a difference, especially when treating patients with chronic conditions because I have more than just the patient's word to go on."

GP2GP not only enables the transfer of patients' electronic health record, it also brings across valuable data accumulated in patient records.

This can include vital clinical information such as blood tests, x-ray and scan results, medication history, immunisation history, chronic disease management and scanned correspondence from hospitals and other outside agencies.

"We get everything we need – a really comprehensive health record for each new patient and the speed at which we receive it is just brilliant! On the whole, we are extremely happy with GP2GP and the benefits it has brought to the practice," says Hilary.

"These benefits will increase as more and more practices are enabled within the area and throughout the country. What is there to be unhappy about? It's fantastic!"

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