Ardington Archives have been helping healthcare professionals with patient records storage for over 30 years
Medical and healthcare practices are very dynamic working environments, with little room for manoeuvre. Space is at a premium and staff are constantly busy. Large numbers of patient records must be stored and referred to, however patients move away and these records must be retained for future reference. For example, guidelines mandate that dentists must continue to hold patient records for a minimum of 11 years after the patient was last seen – or until the age of 25 if the patient is a child – and these long-term records are often stored out of sight in basements, cellars or lofts.
Unfortunately, such locations can be insecure and often breed dangerous environments for paper records – damp, mildew, heat, even rodents, all of which can have a detrimental effect on the integrity of paper and even cause health and safety violations. Conversely, these records are stored in spare rooms, or in filing cabinets, in an ever-increasing volume, reducing valuable working space.
To assist our clients in this area, Ardington Archives offer a clearance and cataloguing service whereby our staff will come to your practice, collate and box the patient records, then remove them from site, storing the boxes securely at one of our archive facilities. Ardington Archives LLP can carry out the hard work, with the minimal amount of disruption, allowing your practice to continue to function in a clinical manner.
Ardington Archives will provide storage boxes and training on best practices, including cataloguing of contents and storage environments. For healthcare practices we recommend the use of our FileBox5 storage box, which allows patient records to be stored to mirror their format in a filing cabinet or shelf, thus facilitating more efficient review. Flatpack boxes can be shipped via a next day service to allow an immediate start on boxing up of records, or they can be brought along by our driver on the day, for use in a clearance process.
Key benefits:
- Quick and easy retrieval service of patient records
- Clearance and cataloguing service – we’ll do the hard work
- Release valuable practice space
- Maintain health & safety conformity
We offer unique, customised document scanning and storage solutions.
We work closely with our clients to ensure we deliver a scanning and storage solution to fit their needs. Have a look at some of our other services.
Ardington Archives currently has a total document storage capacity of over 100,000 boxes across three archive stores, together with our in-house argonite pods and secure vaults. Our facilities are modern and purpose-built for storage. In addition, we have the option to expand our secure archive environments to increase total capacity.
At Ardington Archives we understand that fast and efficient document retrieval is vital for the management of any business. Document retrieval can be requested via phone, email or through our secure online portal service, and if requested by 12 noon, will be returned the next working day, anywhere in the UK. Requested documents are returned either physically or via electronic format, with both options ensuring a secure and confidential delivery.
At Ardington Archives, we provide a comprehensive range of document scanning and digital conversion services using state-of-the-art equipment. We can advise on the best mix of scanning and hardcopy storage to meet your specific needs.
As part of our document storage service, Ardington Archives works with clients to determine destruction dates for archived documents and files. Confidential destruction is carried out by twice shredding the documents, before they are pulped and recycled into toilet tissue. We additionally offer destruction of associated media such as PC hard drives, meeting BSI standards in both Environmental and Information Management.
Ardington Archives has a range of custom designed storage boxes made from high content recycled board. Designed with a double thickness skin to ensure strength, rigidity and a longer life than most other storage boxes, all Ardington Archives boxes are PH neutral to maintain the quality and integrity of the documents stored inside, meeting BS 4971 standards. All boxes are supplied flatpacked for ease of storage and transportation.
In our rapidly-evolving digital era, preserving our cultural and personal heritage has taken a revolutionary turn through heritage scanning. This transformative process involves digitising redords, documents and images, extending their life without causing any damage to the original items.
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