Why your UK clinic should consider going paperless

There are many reasons to ditch the paper in your clinic (as we’ve chatted about before). One that flies under the radar is how much easier it becomes to stay compliant with privacy regulations when your records are digital. This is especially the case if you live in the UK. Okay, so compliance isn’t the most scintillating topic, but it’s hugely important—both for the well-being of your patients, as well as for your own professional liability.

In this age of online scams, paper might even seem like a safer option from a data security standpoint. While it’s true that the filing cabinet storing your patient records isn’t at risk from a cybercriminal, there are nonetheless significant downsides. Data privacy legislation like UK GDPR and best practice guidelines still apply to paper records, and if you’re paper-based it becomes increasingly difficult to stay compliant. Here are some of the legal requirements that become trickier to meet.

Consent management

Obtaining, recording, and managing patient consent becomes more difficult when these processes are hard copy. You’ll need to distribute checklists and forms to your patients (probably in the waiting room before they enter their appointment), which then need to be filed away. This is an administrative headache from your end, but also doesn’t allow your patients the same kind of reflective space to consider their choice. The Information Commissioner's Office emphasises that consent should be “freely given, specific, informed and unambiguous”—circulating a consent form electronically ahead of an appointment makes it easier to provide your patients with these conditions.

Keeping your notes up to scratch

Notes must be “full, clear, and accurate” according to the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC). Some people write quickly and might find it possible to make handwritten notes suitably robust, but it won’t be true for everyone. These guidelines also rule out using shorthand or fragments to help you move along quickly. In fact, the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy (CSP) advises its members to use short forms only if there’s an accompanying, agreed-upon list that explains the terms. Handwritten notes are also more difficult to flesh out on the page if you return to your notes at the end of an appointment to finish them off, whereas this is easy when you’re working electronically.

According to the CSP, poor record keeping is the most common reason physiotherapists find themselves being referred to the HCPC so this is an area in which to tread carefully—whichever profession you work in.

Record destruction

When records are no longer needed, UK GDPR (United Kingdom General Data Protection Regulation) mandates that they must be destroyed, and that you keep a clear record of this. With paper, this can be laborious and requires you to action physical processes. If you’re shredding, you need to meet a specific standard, and strip cutting isn’t sufficient; the documentation needs to be cross-cut or micro-shredded. You’re also faced with a series of additional considerations: how do you securely store physical records awaiting destruction? What waste bins do you use afterwards? If you’re using a third party for shredding or incineration, are they compliant? All of this becomes significantly easier and less time-consuming with a digital system, where records can be destroyed with the click of a button—which is recorded and easily traceable.Breach reporting

It’s much harder to control access to hard-copy records. When your clinic is paper based, there’s no easy way to see who accessed what records and when. In fact, you may not even know whether you’ve had a breach, let alone be able to report it within the requisite 72 hours. Ironically enough, digital records are the format that provide a paper trail! There’s a clear and auditable log of exactly who accessed what and when, which makes it much easier to identify and report breaches.

What else do I need to know about compliance?

UK GDPR is one of the main frameworks to be across. If you’d like to learn more about how to comply, we put together an FAQ list to help. This isn’t legal advice so always be sure to seek your own guidance, but hopefully it helps demystify some of what you need to know.

If you’re looking to transition from paper to a digital system, Cliniko can certainly help, as it meets or exceeds all major privacy standards, including UK GDPR. If you want to know more, please reach out to us!