In 2022 as the CCG prepared to become an ICB, the Data group was tasked to build a platform that could house all data reports for Black Country (BC) ICB GP practices and primary care networks (PCN) to access.
Multiple reports were required by various clinical teams therefore there was need to avoid sending out large data files via email, with the risk of different versions being created and the potential to block inboxes. By having a centralised data platform, these reports could be accessible to all without having to obtain the data from various external data platforms.Following a review of digital platforms available to us, we determined that developing our own SharePoint site would give us the opportunity to house data reports at a local and overall ICB level and called it the 'Data Prescribing Hub' (DPH).
Our future aspiration was to develop its functionality to be used more as a 'Prescribing Support Hub' to support GP practices with their prescribing workplans.
In the first six-months of going live, we delivered a training session for our own team so they could engage with their GP practices and showcased the DPH at an ICB antibiotics training event where they were required to use the antibiotics report located on the DPH. After 12-months, GP practices were downloading their own data which included the Prescribing Incentive Scheme (PIS) report so they could keep track of where they were in advance of our quarterly updates.
SharePoint is a feature of N365 which is provided to us by the NHS therefore there was no cost associated to building the DPH other than our time and skills used to create it. The savings made to the ICB were substantial as GP practices were able to access their budgets with forecasted spend updated monthly and highlighted cost-saving opportunities via the QIPP/CIP report which led to the reduction in their over budget spend where savings could be made, which is highlighted in PrescQIPP's 'Items less suitable for prescribing' dashboard.
