eRedBag

What is eRedBag?

eRedBag is the digital version of the paper documents included in the Red Bag.

The eRedBag consists of information such as; the residents' GP, medical history and next of kin, as well as any symptoms, concerns and actions taken by the care home. It also includes current medication, vital signs observations, and other essential details such as existing pressure sores, mobility and Covid-19 status etc.

It ensures that care home residents receive safer and more integrated care if they ever need to go to the hospital in an emergency.

The Red Bag journey

The Red Bag journey started with a paperwork standard for residents in care homes who were required to take their medical information with them when entering a hospital setting.

Person Centred Software collaborated with the NHS South West London clinical commissioning group in 2018 on the NHS Demonstrator initiative to successfully become the first electronic care solution to digitally transfer the hospital pack directly to the hospital system used by St. Hellier Hospital.

Following this success in 2019, Person Centred Software was part of the steering group to develop a national product as part of the NHS Pathfinders project to design the eRedBag.

The eRedBag has already demonstrated the benefits of sharing data between the care home and the hospital. It has also shown that different types of people, including junior and senior nurses, junior and senior doctors, pharmacist administrators, ED, surgery, acute medical unit, geriatric medicine, renal, pharmacy and discharge teams, have all accessed the eRedBag.

What is needed to use eRedBag?

The PRSB (Professional Record Standards Body) have developed the eRedBag into a national standard called the “Urgent Referral from Care Home to Hospital” and can be shared digitally from the Digital Care System to the NHS via the National Record Locator.

Person Centred Software was the first software provider to send an eRedBag onto the National Record Locator (NRL).