The Single Digital Patient Record has reached a significant milesone with the system now live across the Hunter New England Local Health District, Justice Health NSW and NSW Health Pathology's Hunter New England sites, paving the way for the statewide rollout.
The Single Digital Patient Record is an electronic medical record keeping system that provides clinicians with access to a full picture of patient information - like test results, appointments, and treatment history - from a single, secure and reliable source, and improves patient experience through better continuity of care.
The new system will ultimately unify nine electronic medical records, 10 patient administration systems and five laboratory information management systems currently in use across NSW Health.
Hunter New England Local Health District - covering 25 local government areas and delivering high-quality care to more than almost 1 million people - is the first district to introduce the Single Digital Patient Record system.
As part of the implementation in the district more than 12 million patient records were transferred, more than 1,500 clinical devices were tested and training was delivered to more than 23,000 staff across 26 hospitals.
In addition, the Single Digital Patient Record has been implemented across 11 laboratories, 46 collection centres and more than 100 community, patient and custodial settings at Justice Health NSW and NSW Health Pathology's Hunter New England sites.
The Single Digital Patient Record will continue to be implemented across NSW Health in tranches, with the system expected to be operational across all local health districts and specialty health networks by the end of 2028.
The delivery of the program was supported and informed by partnerships across NSW Health, including clinicians, patients, carers, consumers, and technical experts.
More information about the Single Digital Patient Record can be found on the NSW Health website.
Quotes attributable to Minister for Health Ryan Park:
"The NSW Government is continuing to invest in and deliver innovative solutions to improve the way we deliver care.
"The Single Digital Patient Record means when a patient visits any NSW public health service, our clinicians and healthcare teams will have access to the information they need when it matters most.
"I would like to sincerely thank the many staff, stakeholders and partners for their efforts in helping to improve the way healthcare is delivered and experienced in NSW."
Quotes attributable to Minister for the Hunter Yasmin Catley:
"This is a major step forward for healthcare in the Hunter and across the New England.
"One secure patient record means clinicians have the information they need sooner, patients do not have to keep repeating their story, and care is better connected.
"Our region is leading the state on this rollout, and I want to thank the local health workers who made it happen while continuing to care for their communities."
Quotes attributable to NSW Health Secretary Susan Pearce AM:
"The implementation of the Single Digital Patient Record project is one of the largest statewide transformations we will see in NSW Health.
"The new system will support NSW Health's ongoing commitment to delivering safe, timely, high quality, patient-centred care.
"Introducing a new system across our many hospitals and services is a very significant change, and I thank our staff for their tireless collaboration, preparation and work to ensure a successful transition to the Single Digital Patient Record."
Quotes attributable to Tracey McCosker Hunter New England Local Health District Chief Executive:
"The Single Digital Patient Record will give our teams better access to information and more time to focus on what matters most, our patients.
"This milestone reflects the patience, persistence and commitment of our teams, particularly those on the frontline, and I sincerely thank them all for the role they have played in getting us here.
"We've delivered major digital upgrades, rolled out thousands of new devices and supported our teams to learn new ways of working, all while continuing to care for our communities. That's something to be really proud of."
