Great North Care Record delivers up to £18m in time-savings each year
A new report from the digital shared care record system, the Great North Care Record (GNCR), has demonstrated the impact that genuine collaboration and partnership have had for health and care professionals in the North East and North Cumbria. The system can save staff 77 minutes on average each day, and up to £1.5 million each month in time-efficiencies.
Launched in 2020, the GNCR is an innovative, secure, cross-sector digital platform that makes sharing patient information stored on different systems instantly available at the point of care – improving patient outcomes. It is the result of a strong regional partnership across 400 partner organisations in health and social care sectors, including the NHS, local authorities, hospices, and VCSEs.
Since its launch, it has become one of the most frequently used shared care records in the country. It sees over 1.1 million monthly views from over 33,500 regular users – bringing together data from a range of sources, including clinical correspondence, alerts, appointments, and allergies.
To measure its impact, the GNCR partnered with Newcastle University Business School to produce a report that reviews the way it is used, the time it saves, and the value it provides. The report found that the GNCR can save health and care professionals up to an average of 77 minutes a day and, in emergency care settings, this can reach up to three hours a day.
The report also calculated that GNCR potentially saves the NHS up to £1.5 million per month through time saving and efficiencies – roughly £18m per year. To date, the platform has contributed to an estimated total saving of £38m across the region.
Lisa Sewell, GNCR Programme Director
Lisa Sewell, GNCR Programme Director, said: “We’re excited to share the results of our work with the Newcastle University Business School and showcase the real impact that GNCR brings to the NHS and care professionals in our region.”
“This has been a huge team effort with commitment from clinical, care and digital professionals, supported by our ambassadors, who are driving change regionally.
“These results and savings are the testament of what cross-sector collaboration and innovation can achieve. We hope having this information available ensures that the GNCR is continued to be used as a tool to benefit communities across the North East and North Cumbria.”
Dave Elliott, Chief Digital Officer for the Great North Healthcare Alliance, said: “It’s fantastic to see the impact the Great North Care Record has for health and care staff across our region, and now to have that impact to be reinforced by these findings. Every digital action we take is to improve the patient experience and make tasks easier to complete for our skilled, but often time restricted workforce.
Dave Elliott, Chief Digital Officer for the Great North Healthcare Alliance
“The GNCR is evidence that digital partnerships can remove barriers and streamline how our patients and communities are cared for.”
The GNCR is continuing to invest in its technology and has firmly set its place as a pioneering system in healthcare technology, positioning the North East and North Cumbria as a leader in health technology innovation. It is also the first system to have all its maternity services on a single digital platform, a blueprint now being shared nationally to enhance the safety and experience of pregnant people, their families, and carers.
In addition to the academic report produced, a GNCR Benefits playbook has also been produced, in collaboration with Newcastle University Business School. This resource can be used as a practical guide for embedding and sustaining digital transformation in health and care.
