NHS care trust

Increased need for document retrieval

This NHS Care Trust brings together health and social care to offer joined-up services to the 220,000 patients registered at GP practices in the borough. When the Trust was first formed, it took the opportunity to close legacy buildings and move staff into more efficient accommodation. 

In doing so, the Trust encountered document storage issues. Their Information Governance Manager explains: “We found massive amounts of paper records in places like cellars and attics. Accommodating those files in our new buildings would have been too expensive.”

Legislation like the Freedom of Information Act, together with an increasing tendency towards litigation, meant requests for document retrieval were exploding. That made strict storage disciplines even more crucial. Lacking the resources to set up its own records management organisation, the Trust sought an outsourced solution.

Efficient record management

Iron Mountain® was chosen because of its track record and long experience. Documents from different departments were moved to a secure Iron Mountain storage location, then categorised according to source. For example, children’s services records were treated as one category. Procurement codes were added, not only to assist in retrieval but also to aid in allocating costs to different departments.

To further improve response times, the document archives were split into active records in open-shelf storage and inactive records in boxes. Departments keep documents locally for some six months, then archive them for around 30 months with Iron Mountain as active records. Anything older is classified as inactive, although retrieval may be necessary. At present, there are 4,000 active and 34,000 inactive files occupying 3,500 cubic feet of storage space.

Smart tools and project management

To arrange for documents to move into storage, Iron Mountain provides local managers with a toolkit that includes categorisation instructions, transmittal forms and duplicate bar-coded labels. For bulk document transfers Iron Mountain sends a project team.

All document transfers are recorded via the Iron Mountain Connect™ online portal. This ensures a failsafe electronic record and facilitates the retrieval process. Iron Mountain provides a track-and-trace audit trail of retrieved documents. The Information Governance Manager explains, “Iron Mountain’s attention to detail is absolutely amazing.”

Secure document destruction is the next stage. Using state-of-the-art Iron Mountain shredding facilities, 100 percent of redundant documentation from the central store, as well as that collected from the Trust’s 40 sites, will be recycled.

Scan-on-demand-service

NHS changes are already in full swing and certain responsibilities are moving from the Trust to a new larger organisation. That move motivated the addition of a scan-on-demand service. Iron Mountain ran a pilot which included the necessary secure FTP internet link and a training programme. The Trust then quality checked a random sample before moving to a full scan-on-demand service within two months.

In the latest development, Iron Mountain is back-scanning all active files. A process workbook complements the BSI compliant scan-on-demand service, and these measures mean that the scanned documents may be admissible in court, without the need to provide original paper copies.

The Information Governance Manager says: “Iron Mountain took the scan-on-demand directive in their stride. In Iron Mountain, we have an expert company that’s always reliable and responds at speed. Their employees work as a team and take extraordinary care. I can’t find fault with any aspect of the service I receive.”

The scanned copies are transmitted to the Trust by secure FTP transfer for local server storage. Copies are retained and securely stored by Iron Mountain. The originals can then be destroyed in legally-compliant fashion. Inactive files can also be scanned and made available if required. 

Driving towards digital healthcare

All this is enabling the Trust to move to a fully electronic storage environment. The multi-user system allows healthcare professionals to access the same notes simultaneously, while such a virtual environment offers the flexibility needed to accommodate organisational changes within the NHS.

Under the current Information Governance Manager’s stewardship, the Trust is establishing best practice in healthcare records management. Other NHS organisations are known to be following that lead.

Digitising records cuts transport costs, benefits the environment and increases the speed of service. It also means that patients can be treated more quickly and that their information is kept safe.

“We have to comply with strict tendering processes, and we conduct thorough comparability studies. We know for sure that Iron Mountain rates are very reasonable. They also offer flexible commercial terms,” concludes the Information Governance Manager. “But, to be honest, the peace of mind that comes with using Iron Mountain is beyond price.”