We are experts at storing, transporting & managing patient records, financial documents and sensitive information. Call today on 0845 505 00 03
CAS are experts at medical record storage, transporting and managing sensitive documentation.
Please Note: Whilst we are a leading supplier of secure medical records storage, we CANNOT provide any details what-so-ever for personal medical records. Please contact your local NHS practice for details of your personal medical records. Due to data security measures, we will NOT respond to any personal requests for medical records retrieval.
CAS are experts in off-site medical records storage and digital document management.
We help CCGs, federations and individual practices to maximise their valuable space, and to improve patient confidentiality and accuracy. We ensure your practice fulfils CQC and GDPR obligations.
We have an excellent track record of working with organisations whose patient records archive arrangements are complex and demanding – and ensuring that your organisation fulfils the obligations set out by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).
By storing patient records in our state-of-the-art secure facilities, surgeries can free up space creating new and enhanced treatment zones. Both archive and in-use records can be stored.
The fully hosted, digital system has customised search criteria to enable surgery teams to access patient records remotely. The portal runs on a bank of dedicated high-grade servers in a bespoke and highly secure array at our HQ. Once notes have been logged and stored, any activity performed on them is recorded. This audit trail remains for the life of the material. This complete record of activity means your compliance concerns become a thing of the past.
CAS can employ Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) to individually bar-code and scan storage boxes across all our storage facilities. RFID is one of the most advanced systems to track clients’ documents and provides new levels of accuracy and efficiency far beyond standard barcode management. RFID systems support UK and EU compliance regulations for privacy, while RFID asset tracking means faster, more cost-effective report generation. It also enables comprehensive audits to be performed in close to real-time with 99.999% accuracy, and a secure audit trail of all clients’ transactions.
Our advanced digitisation service allows surgeries to store their medical documents off-site but work with them on a continuing basis. All documents that are in current use are scanned to produce a ‘live’ digital copy which can be accessed via an advanced and completely secure online portal. Records can be scanned on demand in just a few hours.
Fully prepared for the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), we are compliant with the Data Protection Act 1998 and registered with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), registration number Z1281061.
Our secure record storage facilities have secure gated perimeter fences with round-the-clock security patrols and advanced CCTV. We have fitted environmental controls and advanced fire protection systems throughout all the facilities. Our dedicated fleet is GPS-tracked for document transfers. All of our document-handling staff have been approved by the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS), formerly known as the Criminal Records Bureau. And CAS is fully compliant with the Data Protection Act 1998.
CAS can employ Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) to individually bar-code and scan storage boxes across all our storage facilities. RFID is one of the most advanced systems to track clients’ documents and provides new levels of accuracy and efficiency far beyond standard barcode management. RFID systems support UK and EU compliance regulations for privacy, while RFID asset tracking means faster, more cost-effective report generation. It also enables comprehensive audits to be performed in close to real-time with 99.999% accuracy, and a secure audit trail of all clients’ transactions.
Secure medical records storage
We will transfer your patient notes to our secure medical records storage facility. Notes are packed in date-order for efficient on-demand retrieval later. Each note/box is coded, which identifies the specific records contained and makes retrieval easy and accurate.
Boxes are scanned when deposited or removed from storage, and the information is catalogued to provide an accurate audit which can itself be accessed 24/7.
Scan-on-demand medical files
Our scan-on demand service lets you store records until they are needed. Within two hours of a note request, it is retrieved from storage, prepared for scanning by an experienced document management professional, scanned, coded and the digital record added to your virtual record archive. The original records are then returned to their storage box and replaced in the medical records archive.
Access digital patient notes 24/7
Your authorised personnel can then log-in to a bespoke online portal to retrieve patient notes as and when needed. Search for documents by patient name, date of birth, file number, NHS number, or item ID. No special software is required. Any activity performed on the digital note is recorded. This comprehensive audit trail remains for the life of the material and delivers compliance with data management legislation and the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR).
Enjoy more space and less admin
By relocating notes to a secure medical records storage facility and digitising active files, you’ll reduce time spent on administration, improve data accuracy and patient safety, and free up expensive surgery space.
Cambridgeshire Community Services NHS Trust (CCS), undertook a project to relocate and digitise over 20,000 confidential client health care records. The records were for the Children & Young Person’s Unit and included information about all children receiving care and support from across the catchment area. The Children and Young Person’s Unit provides care and support across the region for children aged up to 19. This includes the Family Nurse Partnership, health visiting, hearing services, hospital-based paediatrics, the Safeguarding Children Service, school-age immunisation, school nursing and other specialist services.
Previously these services had been provided by the Clinical Commissioning Group for Great Yarmouth and Waveney. As part of this service, all client records were held at Lowestoft Hospital. The records were managed manually and required NHS staff from across the region to travel to Lowestoft to retrieve and reference records before each client visit.
This became untenable once the service provision passed to CSS, which has its base near Peterborough. The old system was uneconomical for the Trust, requiring significant administration and multiple trips for caregivers to access records.
Furthermore, the old process was entirely manual. Notes had to be retrieved from the library by hand, checked-out by the attending health care professional, reviewed and then returned. This could result in human error leading to the risk of lost patient records in an area of critical care delivery.
Our approach to medical records storage and digitisation
Working closely with senior stakeholders within the Trust, we proposed to enable increased effectiveness of record keeping and retrieval through three work streams: secure storage of records, digitising the records and online access to in-use notes.
The first task was to transfer the notes to our storage facility at Sudbury. The notes were boxed in date-order for efficient on-demand retrieval later. Each note and the box in which it is stored has an individual barcode. The code identifies the specific records contained in that box; making retrieval easy and accurate. The barcodes are scanned using state-of-the-art RFID technology. Each box is scanned when being deposited or removed from storage, and the information is catalogued providing an accurate audit which can itself be accessed 24/7.
We offer an on-demand scanning service. Once requested each note is prepared for scanning by our experienced document management professionals. They remove extraneous items such as paper clips and staples, and individually scan each page including any additional items such as added notes and post-its. The files are then scanned, coded and the digital record added to the virtual record library. The original records are returned to their storage box.
The most important aspect of this project was the need for an efficient ‘live-file’ storage system. Many of the records are for clients who are currently being supported by CSS. This means the records are in constant use and may need to be retrieved, updated and returned to storage 24/7. Once scanned, all files can be accessed whenever needed through our secure online portal.
The first task was to transfer the notes to our storage facility. The notes were boxed in date-order for efficient on-demand retrieval later. Each note and the box in which it is stored has an individual barcode. The code identifies the specific records contained in that box; making retrieval easy and accurate. The barcodes are scanned using state-of-the-art RFID technology. Each box is scanned when being deposited or removed from storage, and the information is catalogued providing an accurate audit which can itself be accessed 24/7.
The relocation to a secure storage facility and digitisation of active notes has enabled primary care staff to deliver increased support to children and young people across Cambridgeshire, Norfolk, Suffolk and Bedfordshire.
Administration time and costs have been reduced significantly, particularly the time care professionals have to spend travelling to the old facility to review and manage records. This has resulted in increased productivity, essential at a time when all NHS teams are under budget pressure.
The secure storage facility also delivers an enhanced level of data protection offering peace-of-mind for patients, carers and families.
“It was essential for us to find a supplier that not only demonstrated exceptional standards around security and confidentiality but who could also tailor their service to meet our specific and challenging requirements. CAS excelled in each of these areas.”
CCS
Read the full case study on how we relocated and digitised over 20,000 confidential client health care notes for the Cambridgeshire Community Services NHS Trust.
CAS is a leading provider of financial records storage and secure document management services. From credit cards, bank accounts and mortgages, to loans, savings and pensions, virtually every adult in the UK is a consumer of financial services. We can help FCA-regulated companies demonstrate that they conform to the highest standards of integrity in terms of the security of business and customer records. “We cannot speak more highly of CAS, they are very professional and have been extremely pro-active and efficient in solving our storage needs.”
If your company holds sensitive data, and you are thinking of offsite document storage options, do not hesitate to contact us on 0845 50 50 003 or by using the form below.
We have consistently met management processes that reduce our impact on the environment and contribute to sustainability on both a regional and national level.
Our ISO 15489 accreditation demonstrates that we have achieved all the requirements for the Records Management Industry. With our medical records scanning service, you can rest assured that appropriate attention and protection is given to the processing and management of your document and file storage.
This best-recognised quality management standard demonstrates that our systems have achieved the highest levels of accuracy and efficiency.
This ISO accreditation demonstrates our compliance with all international regulations relating to surveillance, security and staff confidentiality - crucial in preserving the security and integrity of private records.
We are compliant with the Cyber Essentials Plus enhanced security audit, an assessment that confirms our organisation meets a specific set of standards in relation to IT infrastructure.