ePEX accredited for Choose and Book

Ascribe has announced that it has achieved Choose and Book accreditation for its ePEX patient administration system, which is installed in 25% of PCTs in the UK.

The ePEX PAS has been designed with primary and community care in mind, with modules that support mental health, learning disabilities, child health and elderly services. The Choose and Book accreditation means that users will be able to publish appointment slots onto the central system when they upgrade their software.

The first installation of the CaB-enabled system will be in Rotherham PCT in the first three months of 2006. The trust has been using ePEX for 13 years. Peter Clarkson, clinical IT systems specialist and project manager, said: "We welcome the Choose and Book compliance status and look forward to providing an improved service to our patients and primary care users."

The ePEX system was originally developed by software supplier Protechnic Exeter, now part of Ascribe, which also develops GP software.

ePEX’s mental health module includes the ability to give continuous feedback and communication between mental health workers in both acute and primary care, and features patient records that stretch throughout the patient journey. The child health module has capacity for automatic referrals based on data entered on the record, which can be accessed by all healthcare professionals involved in the patient’s care.

A spokesperson for Ascribe said that the system will then be rolled out to other sites as they request upgrades. CEO,Graham Lewis, said: "The ePEX system delivers a dependable patient care system to trusts looking to achieve Choose and Book compliance. We have a great product supported by a great team."

According to Ascribe, ePEX is used in 35 mental health and community care trusts in England, all of whom will benefit from the Choose and Book upgrade. The company is currently working to achieve accreditation for ETP for ePEX.