The Professional Record Standards Body has released new educational videos for hospital doctors and other clinicians to explain how e-discharge summaries should be completed, ahead of the NHS deadline for implementation.

From October 1, 2018 onwards, only direct digital discharge summaries will be permitted under the NHS England Standard Contract or providers must have a plan in place to implement digital discharge summaries by December 2018. This includes discharge summaries from hospitals to GPs, as well as outpatient letters. To gain the full benefit of digital transmission, it is important that discharge summaries and outpatient clinic letters are constructed using coded data and standardised information using PRSB’s standards so that data can be automatically extracted into GP records.  

Backed by the chair of the Royal College of General Practitioners, Professor Helen Stokes-Lampard and NHS National CCIO, Simon Eccles, the first video explain the importance of using PRSB standards for the discharge summary to enable on-going safe, high quality care.  

A second video features insights about best practice from Dr Tim Yates, chief medical information officer and neurology registrar at the Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust. He explains how e-discharge summaries should be completed so that information sharing is effective for both professionals and patients.  

Speaking about the new videos, PRSB chair, Professor Maureen Baker, said: “Sharing standardised information through discharge summaries and digital outpatient letters supports better safer patient care by ensuring timely information is available when needed. Our new videos can be used as educational tools to help support clinicians receive effective training as we move towards the implementation of digital records.” 

The two videos can be found here.