Thousands of doctors in training towards becoming consultants move between NHS trusts.
Thus the NHS is under time and cost pressure to streamline the necessary administration required to verify a doctor’s identity and credentials for patient safety. Prior the current NHS Occupational Health Smart Card Scheme (OHSC), junior doctors and medical students often needed duplicate blood and immunisation tests, whenever assigned to a new position. Under the OHSC ‘Fitness to Practise’ programme, doctors’ personal and health clearance data are consistently recorded on to secure and portable smart cards. Provided this information is kept up to date between the doctors and their employers, this reduces the risk of cross-infection between patients and themselves by removing the need for additional time-consuming transfer procedures. OHSC, which covers some 35,000 junior doctors, 250 Acute NHS trusts and has links to the General Medical Council’s UK-wide registration database, will now support another 4,000 doctors new to NHS medical training. The scheme is jointly sponsored by the Department of Health and the newly-created NHS Employers and developed with document and personnel identity product firm TSSI Systems.
As a doctor arrives at a new post, identity and pre-employment checking information such as health clearance, GMC registration status and Criminal records (CRB) data stored on their TSSI smart card can be verified through a central NHS database. Only if the verification is positive and his immunisations are current, may that doctor go on ward. The NHS reports that it has simplified transfer times and minimised unnecessary duplication in administration.
Each smart card displays the photograph and name of the doctor and holds their GMC or dental registration number and key clinical data accessible to authorised NHS trust staff through a secure "chip and PIN" process.
What they say
Barbara Levy, OHSC programme manager, said: โAs we modernise medical training and expand the number of doctors working and training in the NHS, we need increasingly to use available e-technology to modernise the way we manage the NHS and provide quality assurance for patients. It is up to every doctor under their professional code of conduct to prove they are safe and fit to practise, and the card allows them to do so securely and consistently throughout their careers.โ
Access control and ID card firm TSSI points to what it calls a growing requirement for ‘credentialing’ through business, government and educational organisations and across a variety of industries; from airline pilots to nightclub bouncers. Danny Chapchal, Chairman, TSSI, says: โThe smart card scheme has acted as an innovative catalyst for streamlining administrative procedures and cutting down the time taken to complete pre-employment checks. As a result the NHS can focus increased resources on patient healthcare instead of time consuming administration."
About TSSI
TSSI, based in Swindon, makes document verification, fingerprint biometrics and identification products. Target markets include healthcare entities, retailers, airports and financial institutions. Customers include Group 4 Securicor, NHS and the John Lewis Partnership.
