What is the Health and Social Care Network (HSCN)?

The HSCN network and HSCN Connections have been developed by the NHS and in their own words has been designed to “provide a reliable, efficient and flexible way for health and care organisations to access and exchange electronic information.”

In a nutshell, the HSCN is a novel data network designed to replace the previous N3 network for all health and care organisations.

Why Health and Care Organizations Should Use HSCN Connections?

Although it might seem a little overwhelming to contemplate moving to a new digital network for something as sensitive as health and social care services, the HSCN network has received a lot of positive reviews from those who have adopted it. The data network offers several benefits to users which fill the gaps N3 system suffered from.

HSCN allows health care providers to access network connectivity in the market from many different suppliers including Anywhere Technologies. By providing the essential network requirements, HSCN allows health care services to access and share their information reliably and in collaboration with other organisations.

The Benefits of HSCN Connections

HSCN compliant suppliers are able to offer their services to the open market giving you a choice of the right supplier for your organisation, large or small. As the HSCN system has been opened up to much more of the market and not simply the NHS, it has driven choice up and costs down.

Suppliers work within a dedicated obligation framework and offer secure and simplified connections in line with the HSCN network’s requirements.

The system allows organisations to rationalise their connectivity through the use of both internet based public services and private networks via a single connection.

As part of the national healthcare infrastructure, organisations are able to access NHS Digital’s national applications helping them collaborate and also enabling them to share information and patient information with other providers.

HSCN Equips You with More Comprehensive Information

HSCN’s efficient digital data network provides the employees of your organisation access to various kinds of data. This enables them to make better-informed and more precise decisions, as well as offering them greater flexibility in their working arrangements.

Nurses can access patient details from their location before undertaking at-home patient visits. They can update the latest information on the portal, which gets automatically saved in the medical history and archives. Other staff members can upload records on the platform, which become instantly available to others on duty, which makes sharing clinical and patient data an effortless and nimble process with negligible errors.

Easily Accessible

Employees can access information and services instantaneously, irrespective of their location or network provider, once they are connected to the HSCN network. At the same time, there is no compromise on security, with multiple remote-access solutions available to ensure connections are secure from any location.

Moving Away from N3

The NHS has made it clear that in their view N3 was no longer sufficient for the vision and objectives listed in the Five Year Forward View of Personalised Health and Care 2020. HSCN promises a more refined and modern approach to the health and social care sector through features such as advanced authentication, tunnel encryption, Electronic Prescriptions Service and digital imaging services.

In addition, the HSCN network allows for developing trends such as telemedicine by supporting video consultations, virtual desktop infrastructure and VOIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol) communications. These features and many more make the platform a reliable and modern solution for health and social care.

What Concerns Are There When Transitioning from N3 to HSCN?

Transitioning from N3 to HSCN is a significant change that is bound to require careful consultation and planning, as there may be several new routes to a solution not previously available to your organisation. Network renewal, which has now become an integral component of the IT sector, is serious, intricate and time-specific.

Only with the right technical expertise, excellent project management, good communication, solid networks and care can this process be handled effectively.

How Anywhere Technologies Can Assist You with Your HSCN Connections

Anywhere has seen the rapid and significant changes in the digital landscape in the healthcare sector. The move to the cloud is irreversible and this is why we have developed our HSCN connectivity portfolio.

Working with GP Practices, the NHS, Care Homes and Life Sciences we can deliver reliable, superfast connectivity in a highly secure environment.

Please give us a call or drop us a line to set up an appointment or read about how we helped St Mary’s Hospice.