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Press Releases
UK Software
PRESS INFORMATION ISSUED ON
BEHALF OF:
UK Software Ltd
Kent Innovation Centre, Millennium Way, BROADSTAIRS, Kent, CT10 2QQ
Tel: + 44 (0) 1843 609345; Web:
www.uksoftware.ltd.uk
28 July 2008
TranSearch® helps the General Medical Council protect patients
UK Software's TranSearch® system has not only reduced the resources
needed to provide vital information for the UK's General Medical Council
(GMC) but it has also appreciably increased the speed with which that
information is retrieved. Installed at the GMC at the end of 2004, the
system, which deals with the live file management of paper files, boxes,
magnetic media and so on, from creation to final archive storage and
destruction, is helping to keep this charity's administration costs in
check and also provide a faster service and better value for money for
its customers.
According to Paul Maxwell, the GMC's Records Manager: "Having decided
that we needed to improve the efficiency of our paper-based records
management, the GMC embarked on a review process - not least to see what
systems existed that could help it meet its objectives.
"Essentially, we looked for a software-based solution that would remove
our increasing administrative overheads. We wanted a solution where GMC
staff could search for the information that they needed for themselves,"
he said.
The GMC employs some 500 staff, who are involved in either the
registration of doctors or the 'fitness to practice process', which
involves the investigation of complaints against doctors. Most of these
people are based at the GMC's Manchester or London offices.
"The demands that are being made on the information we hold - as a
consequence of the world we live in today - would have put enormous
pressure on the traditional, manual system that we used to operate,"
Maxwell said. "TranSearch's online process enables any of our staff to
search for information about a particular doctor and then request the
relevant information in the form of physical files.
"In the past, the whole process would have taken longer and involved
more resources because several members of our staff would have been
involved in requesting and providing the necessary information. Now, the
member of staff who requires the information can get it, using
TranSearch."
UK Software not only provided the GMC with the TranSearch system but its
technical staff worked with the GMC to provide web-based functionality
for the system including web pages that 'wrap around' the system,
providing a user-friendly interface. Maxwell commented: "We feel that
TranSearch is working very well and we've been delighted with the
support and commitment we've received from UK Software staff.
"The TranSearch system has not only reduced the resources needed to
provide the information that we need but it has also appreciably
increased the speed with which that information is retrieved," he
continued.
"The TranSearch system interfaces well with the system that is provided
by the organisation which stores the GMC's files. Requests for
information are transferred between the systems electronically - and
this speeds up the supply of the relevant files.
"Indeed, the TranSearch system now allows us to track the progress of
any enquiry and file," Maxwell added "so we can see the status of any
request at any time - and know the times and dates of any and every
delivery and collection of files."
"We are delighted to be working with the GMC in this way - to help it in
its vital role of protecting patients," commented UK Software's chief
executive, John Messeter.
"And, while we're happy to link our software with any Electronic
Document and Records Management (EDRM) system - including the one used
by the GMC - we don't want to be restricted, nor do we want to be
regarded as being 'biased' to one specific EDRM system.
"Similarly, our clients are not tied to any one third party archivist.
With co-operation TranSearch can be interfaced with any third party
archivist system."
End
Word count: 600 words.
Notes for Editors
About the General Medical Council (GMC)
Established under the Medical Act
of 1858, the General Medical Council (GMC) registers doctors to practise
medicine in the UK. Its purpose is to protect, promote and maintain the
health and safety of the public by ensuring proper standards in the
practice of medicine. The law gives the GMC four main functions under
the Medical Act 1983:
keeping up-to-date registers of
qualified doctors
fostering good medical practice
promoting high standards of
medical education
dealing firmly and fairly with
doctors whose fitness to practise is in doubt.
The GMC is the independent
regulator for doctors in the UK. It controls entry to the medical
register and sets the educational standards for medical schools. It also
determines the principles and values that underpin good medical practice
and takes firm but fair action where those standards have not been met.
It has strong and effective legal powers designed to maintain the
standards the public have a right to expect of doctors. It does not
protect the medical profession - their interests are protected by
others. Its job is to protect patients.
Where any doctor fails to meet those standards, it acts to protect
patients from harm - if necessary, by removing the doctor from the
register and removing her/his right to practise medicine.
A registered charity, the GMC is independent of government as the
dominant provider of healthcare in the UK; independent of domination by
any single group; and is publicly accountable for the discharge of its
functions. Its governing body, the Council, currently has 35 members of
which 21 are doctors and 14 are lay members:
19 doctors elected by the
doctors on the register
14 members of the public
appointed by the NHS Appointments Commission
two doctors appointed by
educational bodies - the universities and medical royal colleges
The British Standards Institute
(BSI) has presented the ISO 27001 (Information Security Standard) to the
General Medical Council (GMC).
The ISO 27001 security standard involves an audit of the many ways
information is handled within an organisation. This involves checking
information is accurate, ensuring that confidentiality is maintained and
that information is available when it is needed.
Compliance with this standard
provides assurance that the GMC is using best practice in handling
information safely and securely. Achieving the standard is not a one-off
event but involves ongoing assessment and review, and undertaking
corrective action where necessary to ensure the effectiveness of
procedures.
About UK Software
UK Software, incorporated in
1993, is an independent software house specialising in providing
solutions - notably TranSearch® - for live file management of paper
files, boxes, magnetic media and so on, from creation to final archive
storage and destruction. Its products are based on barcode technology
and handle creation, labeling, tracking, on-site storage management,
off-site storage, on-line ordering and management reporting.
UK Software provides a complete solution, including pre-sales
consultancy, installation, training and technical support. Its customers
include accountants, international banks, government, consultants, legal
companies and insurers. These users tend to have multiple sites /
multiple departments and, typically, have hundreds of thousands of files
and many thousands of file movements per month. See
www.uksoftware.ltd.uk
Further information from:
John Messeter, UK Software Ltd, 00 44 (0) 1843 609345
Shirley Barnett, PR Projects, 00 44 (0) 20 8202 7821
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