NCHA Prescription Processing Times Reduced by 80% using E-Sign

The National Clinical Homecare Association (NCHA) is the trade body for the clinical homecare industry, and represents most of the organisations in the UK that provide clinical homecare services. Part of its responsibilities is to find industry-wide positions and solutions that will help to improve the homecare service for patients. Their existing paper-based workflow was causing problems with delays in patients receiving the necessary care and medication.

E-Sign began working with stakeholders in the NCHA to create an effective solution that enabled healthcare providers to create bespoke digital prescription workflows at a departmental level. Whilst also having a unified solution that could be implemented by various different healthcare providers through the NCHA.

What key issues did E-Sign address?

The NCHA had several providers that required an efficient digital solution, one trust was a hospital with 3 sites and prescriptions regularly needed to be transferred across between sites as part of the routine process. This was very challenging and time-consuming as the hospital was transferring hundreds of paper prescriptions on a daily basis. Other issues included:

• The increased risk of misplacing documents as well as significant time delays during prescription transport.
• Huge time investments were also needed to complete mitigating mechanisms and audit logs.
• Maintaining ongoing compliance with NHS and individual trust requirements relating to Information Governance and Security.
• Each step in the process requires a lot of time including the time taken to move onto the next stage, which can cause delays and increase stress and anxiety for patients.

What outcomes were achieved for the NCHA when using E-Sign?

E-Sign are proud to have made an important impact in helping the NCHA streamline their prescription processes and ensure greater efficiency in patient care. Below are some of the key successes E-Sign and the NCHA have achieved through their digital transformation.

• Prescription process time was reduced by 80%, from 2 days to 2 hours.
• A reduction of 9,172kg in CO2 over 12 months (including paper and envelopes).
• £95,324.44 in annual savings from kWh reduction (based on mailing)
• By minimising paper usage the equivalent of 510 trees have been saved, a key step in the global effort to reduce carbon emissions.
• In terms of qualitative data, staff reported an improved audit log and less delays due to multiple staff being assigned to prescriptions in case of absences.

Updates from the NCHA

Since the implementation of E-Sign, the NCHA has seen a month on month increase in usage with various different homecare providers, as it meets expectations in the promises and benefits it offers. Additionally, despite the well-known slow uptake of digital solutions within the NHS for various reasons, the NCHA has been pleasantly surprised by how quickly E-Sign has been picked up and adopted across the industry.

We caught up with NCHA Chief Executive Chris Carver who shared some exciting updates for how the platform is working for them. He said;

“The NCHA are more than satisfied with E-Sign as it delivers what it promises and supports the growth of projects, offering several useful benefits for our homecare providers. By transitioning to a secure digital platform we have been able to streamline and provide the highest standard of care and service to patients. We look forward to continuing our work with E-Sign and helping other homecare providers embrace the efficiency of digital prescription solutions.”

Thomas Taylor, Managing Director of E-Sign, had this to say about the project with the NCHA;

“The healthcare sector has often been left relying upon outdated paper-based processes, which causes significant delays and frustration for both staff and patients. E-Sign are delighted to work with the NCHA and continually optimise their prescription management. So they can improve the patient experience with homecare providers and streamline administration in a secure and efficient way.”

To find out more about our work with the NCHA, please see our full case study.

Start your digital journey with E-Sign

E-Sign is an industry-leading electronic signature and digital document solutions provider, working in a wide range of sectors, including healthcare. Our extensive work with organisations within healthcare have allowed us to develop an in-depth understanding of the challenges that they face on a daily basis. Therefore, we have the knowledge, tools, and experience to provide bespoke services that solve those challenges.

If you operate in the healthcare sector and are looking for an effective digital software to enhance your document processes, we can help.

Contact us today to discuss your requirements with one of our digital transformation specialists. Alternatively you can get started with us by registering for our 14-day free trial, allowing you to experience the features and benefits of the platform for yourself, and see how it can work for the specific needs of your organisation.