EMIS Ethical Principles

Ethical Principles

At EMIS, we’re committed to the highest clinical standards in every product and service in every healthcare setting. That has been our consistent guiding principle for more than 30 years and will continue to be so. We have decades of experience in handling data in the safest and most ethical way and ensuring that information is readily available to our customers. We are using that experience to develop technology that will promote research and innovation and enable the insights to be shared for the improvement of healthcare. To accomplish this we will only ever work with pharmaceutical companies if we believe it improves clinical safety and/or advice. We already have teams of clinicians dedicated to making sure that our systems are kept up to date with the latest clinical guidelines, providing Healthcare Professionals with the most up to date advice through inbuilt system clinical intelligence. By working closely with the wider healthcare industry we can improve this further, closing the research loop and ensuring that the latest clinical evidence is fed back into our systems for the benefit of clinicians and patients. Together as an industry we are stronger, and with joined-up thinking, we can make a significant difference to the nation’s healthcare.

The EMIS Ethical Principles

Benefit Our mission is to use technology to drive up the quality and safety of care. EMIS collaborations will enable clinical, social or system benefit for patients, clinicians and the NHS. Transparency We are proud and excited about this work and who we are working with. EMIS commits to be transparent with customers around the use of patient data and the nature of any research being undertaken. Privacy We are the privileged custodians and processors of sensitive personal data about individuals. We will comply with our legal and ethical obligations and ensure we have appropriate permissions when managing patient and customer data.

Evidence based We support and work with world- leading clinicians and researchers who practice medicine and pioneer new solutions following the scientific method. We will look to ensure that all endeavours we engage with will have academic rigour and evidence-based practice at their core and our principles and our partnerships will drive us in the delivery of clinical excellence, the pursuit of leading evidence and the potential of clinical innovation. Safety Patient safety is at the core of everything we do. We are committed to improving the effectiveness of healthcare through collaborative working in a way that drives improved patient safety and outcomes.

EMIS is working with researchers to provide positive, ethical solutions to the challenges they face in line with the five key themes announced by the Government. We are developing technology that makes it easier for patients and clinicians to participate in, and derive value from, research. Our focus is on creating positive change in healthcare and we believe this can best be achieved by working together and co-creating a research approach that meets the needs of an ever-changing healthcare landscape.

Background Joined up working is vital for the delivery of safe, efficient and effective patient care. Whether it’s clinicians working together in multidisciplinary teams, or system suppliers working together to provide you with the best technical solutions on the market, collaboration always produces optimal results – for patients, the NHS, and industry partners alike.

Examples of Collaboration Areas

The following are areas where collaboration can lead to the prevention of ill- health, earlier diagnosis, more effective treatments, better outcomes and faster recovery: • Research – helping feasibility, recruitment and conduct of observational and interventional clinical research studies. The NHS Long Term Plan is clear that research and innovation are key to drive future outcomes improvement. It outlines a clear intent: “We will work to increase the number of people registering to participate in health research to one million by 2023/24.“

We’re invested in working with major research partners to enable better care and improved population health. With the launch in 2020 of our powerful analytics suite, EMIS-X Analytics, we’ve been connecting the dots to drive clinical research innovation, underpinned by data insights and improved technology. We believe that placing a strong emphasis on research and development can have a significant positive impact on patient care. Thousands of patients and healthcare organisations contributing time and data can result in incredible improvements.

There are thousands of organisations working tirelessly to improve the lives and experiences of both healthcare teams and patients. EMIS believes this can only truly be achieved if we work together. We already work with 143 partners, who interoperate with EMIS clinical systems to provide a connected technology ecosystem. Furthermore, using our research partnerships, we’ve supported the development of ground-breaking tools, such as OpenSAFELY. The pharmaceutical industry places a huge emphasis on research and development – and here at EMIS, research has been an important arm of our business for many years. Now, we’re working in partnership with the Life Sciences sector to accelerate the research, development and delivery of more effective treatments through data driven insights.

• Insights – helping implement risk algorithms and increasingly advanced AI tools that can process data at scale to identify cohorts and flag those to interested clinicians to decide on the appropriate clinical actions to take

• Actions – proactive alerts or support information to flag NICE guidance or NHS Policy to clinicians in the flow of work. Peer reviewed clinical content or manufacturers’ guidelines may also be supplied directly to patients who have opted into a service to support their care journeys.

Impact of COVID-19 COVID-19 has had a transformative impact on healthcare delivery. It has revolutionised ways of working across the healthcare

Potential Benefits of Collaborative Working

We have seen this in the rapid vaccine rollout to combat COVID-19 – without collaboration and research, we would not be in the promising position we are today. Likewise, in the guidance publication ‘Saving and improving lives: the future of UK clinical research delivery’, the Government has highlighted the vital role of collaboration in our response to COVID-19: “The spirit of collaboration shown by all those involved in this phenomenal research effort has been fundamental to our success. Regulators, the NHS and trial sponsors have worked hand-in- hand to set-up and deliver large-scale trials safely, quickly and effectively.”

For Patients: • New, effective treatments are available more quickly

landscape and thrown a spotlight onto the essential role of clinical trials and research.

• Better and more personalised information about conditions and treatment options

The NHS Long TermPlan is clear that research and innovation is key to drive future outcomes and improvement. It outlines an explicit intent: “We will work to increase the number of people registering to participate in health research to one million by 2023/24.“ This recognises that breakthroughs enable prevention of ill-health, earlier diagnosis, more effective treatments, better outcomes and faster recovery.

• Higher quality care and better health outcomes

For Clinicians:

• Better support to deliver high quality care

• Diagnostic aids, care pathway protocols, alerts & templates supporting implementation of National Standards and NHS Policy

• Involvement in cutting edge research and development

“ Clinical research is the backbone of healthcare – it is the way we improve the detection, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of disease and improves the lives of patients across the country. This has never been more true than in our response to the pandemic.” - Matt Hancock, Former Secretary of State for Health and Social Care 23rd March 2021

For the Research & Life Science Partner:

• New knowledge, interventions and treatments are accelerated

• Increase in the appropriate use of treatments aligned to national guidance

• Faster implementation of central policy to bring new treatments into the NHS

• Potential increase in size of the relevant and eligible patient population

Future of Clinical Research The Government says we now must view COVID-19 as a springboard. In particular, it wants to see data and digital at the heart of the UK’s future clinical research. This follows 5 key themes:

• Clinical research embedded in the NHS – A research-positive culture that empowers all healthcare staff and is integrated as part of their job. • Patient-centred research – Patients should have easy access to, and participation in, research. What’s more, research needs to be more widely accessible to rural, diverse and under- served populations. • Streamlined, efficient and innovative research – The Government’s vision is for the UK to be seen as the best place in the world for clinical research.

• Research enabled by data and digital tools – Again, the Government has a vision of the UK boasting the most advanced and data-enabled clinical research in the world. • Sustainable and supported research workforce – The people working in clinical research will receive rewarding

opportunities and enjoy exciting careers, in both commercial and non-commercial research.

Working with the entire healthcare industry, EMIS can help make it easier for patients and health care organisations to support this research vision for the UK.

“ Ground-breaking technologies, data and analytics will transform healthcare and save lives. Now is the time to seize the opportunity and make this vision a reality.” - Matt Hancock, Former Secretary of State for Health and Social Care 23rd March 2021