The One Health and Care (OHC) system has revolutionised healthcare in the Midlands by integrating patient data across sectors, leading to over £1 million in annual savings, significantly improving care coordination, and enhancing decision-making for healthcare providers, ultimately delivering better patient outcomes.

Background

The challenge facing healthcare in the Midlands was a fragmented approach to managing patient data across multiple healthcare and social care organisations. Information was often siloed within individual systems, leading to inefficiencies in care coordination, duplication of efforts, and delays in decision-making. Healthcare providers lacked a unified view of a patient’s health history, which impacted the ability to deliver timely and effective care, especially in complex cases where multiple agencies were involved.

To address this issue, NHS Midlands and Lancashire (ML) introduced the One Health and Care (OHC) system in January 2021. OHC aimed to integrate health and social care records from different organisations into a single platform, providing healthcare professionals with a comprehensive view of patient data. The goal was to reduce administrative burdens, improve care coordination, and improve decision-making across the healthcare system.

Action 

NHS ML implemented a multi-step approach to launch and expand OHC across three integrated care boards (ICBs) —Black Country, Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent, and Shropshire, Telford, and Wrekin.

We began by integrating patient data from various healthcare organisations, ensuring that the system could access records from general practices, hospitals, social care services, and mental health providers. We monitored and supported the exponential growth of OHC, which saw logins increase from 11,527 in January 2021 to 236,105 in September 2024, and patient record access rise from 11,245 to 229,793 per month.

To ensure the smooth functioning of OHC, we provided ongoing technical support, covering system configuration, security, access controls, and hardware/software troubleshooting. Our support extended to user training and help desk services, ensuring stakeholders could effectively use the platform.

To ensure continuous improvement and stakeholder involvement, we set up regular meetings such as weekly JIRA sessions, fortnightly leadership meetings, and monthly governance boards. These meetings enabled real-time feedback, shared problem-solving, and ensured that OHC was responsive to the needs of different sectors.

We regularly assessed the performance and impact of OHC, demonstrating significant cost and time savings. Our benefits realisation report showed that OHC delivered over £1 million in annual savings, including £700K from A&E and £350K from primary care efficiencies, and reduced time spent on tasks by 600+ minutes per month for social care, safeguarding, and OT teams.

Impact 

OHC’s integrated approach has fundamentally transformed healthcare delivery across the region. The platform generated annual savings exceeding £1 million, with major reductions in administrative time and operational costs. For example, A&E staff now save approximately 450 hours per week by accessing patient records through OHC instead of manually contacting GP surgeries.

By giving healthcare professionals a unified view of patient records, OHC improved care coordination between GPs, hospitals, and social care providers. This reduced the risk of redundant tests, conflicting treatments, and provided a more seamless patient experience.

With OHC, healthcare providers can now access real-time data across sectors, which significantly speeds up clinical decisions and allows for more accurate diagnoses. The user-friendly interface and integration with existing clinical systems meant minimal disruption during implementation, ensuring quick adoption.

The collaborative structure set up by NHS ML—through regular meetings, workshops, and governance sessions—created a stronger partnership between healthcare and social care organisations. This has led to more effective problem-solving, quicker resolutions, and a unified focus on improving patient outcomes.

OHC has resolved a critical issue of fragmented healthcare data, enabling healthcare professionals to provide more coordinated, effective, and efficient care. The system has not only delivered significant financial savings but has also improved patient care quality and collaboration across the healthcare system in the Midlands.

Feedback

“NHS Midland and Lancashire’s support to Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent’s shared care record, also known as One Health and Care (OHC), ensures our clinicians have the information they need at all times to deliver safe care to our residents. The team offers frontline helpdesk services, system training and track OHC usage and benefits, ensuring good value for money and delivering a sustainable, shared record environment.”

Chris Ibell | Chief Digital and Information Officer | Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent’s Integrated Care Board

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