Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board chooses Civica’s Cito platform to drive Digital Hospital agenda

The Health Board will improve visibility of clinical information and enhance patient care with Civica’s digital health solution

Civica, a market leader in business-critical software applications, digital solutions and managed services has signed a five-year contract with Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board (Cwm Taf Morgannwg) to implement its cloud-based digital health platform Cito. The new partnership supports the Health Board’s aim to digitise over 300,000 patient records and 127 million images over the next two years, bringing in operational efficiencies and improving security.

Cwm Taf Morgannwg provides primary, community, hospital and mental health services to more than 450,000 people living in the three County Boroughs of Bridgend, Merthyr Tydfil and Rhondda Cynon Taf in South Wales. With almost 13,500 employees, Cwm Taf Morgannwg is one of the area’s largest employers. 

For some time, Cwm Taf Morgannwg has faced the issue of ongoing growth of health records (averaging annual net growth of 24,000 records) as well as rising paper-handling costs and limited document storage space. Currently, paper records for the three acute hospitals and five community hospitals and clinics under Cwm Taf Morgannwg’s management are transported site-to-site, involving a large employee base and growing transport costs. 

An integrated digital health platform will help to transform the way the Health Board works, improving the structuring and management of patient data and allowing clinicians to access and edit up-to-date clinical information from anywhere, at any time. 

Following a detailed review process and clinical scoring system, Civica’s Cito platform was chosen by the Board’s clinicians based on its quality and usability. By providing enhanced visibility and enabling greater flexibility around health and care records, clinicians both at Cwm Taf Morgannwg and from the wider Welsh health network will be able to view and share patient information more effectively, leading to better decision making and improved outcomes for patients.

The Cito platform provides real-time, accurate information available at the point of care delivery, allowing clinicians to ensure the best outcomes for patients. This is improved by enhancing the flow of information between clinicians in multiple NHS disciplines. It also removes the need for paper notes which could represent a data breach risk.

Civica also plans to assist Cwm Taf Morgannwg with the set-up of a local scanning facility, in turn providing jobs for the local community.

John Palmer, Chief Operating Officer for Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board, said: “We are committed to improving the ways we work to benefit both our staff and patients. Our plans to digitise patient records will have enormous clinical benefits and are a key part of our strategy to use technology to drive forward innovation across the Health Board. 

“We have already achieved a significant amount after consolidating 1.2 million records into one Hub from 38 sites in the past five years. Now, working with Civica, we are able to move to the second phase of the project to digitise all patient records. This is a really exciting piece of work and I look forward to seeing the benefits that will come as a result.”

David Roots, Executive Director, Health & Care, Civica commented: “We’re very pleased to be working in partnership with Cwm Taf Morgannwg as it moves to our Cito platform. With its determination to drive digital innovation in integrated health and care, we’re excited to support the Board’s vision to deliver paperless services at the point of care, support digital transformation and ultimately enhance patient experience.” 

With a 30-year track record in the health sector, Civica delivers critical software solutions to over 400 customers across the NHS and private care sector: from electronic prescribing and patient records to enhanced workforce efficiency. The company provides cloud delivery to more than 20,000 clinicians, facilitates the scanning of 150 million documents and images and processes £60bn of NHS funds annually.

In addition to working with major health providers in Wales including Cwm Taf Morgannwg and Cardiff and Vale University Health Board, Civica also provides digital services and software to the majority of local councils in Wales, all police forces and other bodies including housing associations and regional bodies.