Sunrise Software, a leading supplier of IT service management software has announced that NHS Informatics Merseyside is using Sunrise ITSM as a platform for automation, innovation and greater efficiency, helping its 18,000 users to focus on patient care.
With one of the largest IT service desks in the NHS, Informatics Merseyside handles 132,000 requests per year, providing 24 hour support to users from specialist NHS trusts, clinical commissioning groups, general practitioners and professional bodies.
While the majority of requests are currently made via phone and webforms, Informatics Merseyside is innovating by integrating new channels such as live chat into the central Sunrise incident management process. This delivers real-time support and enables staff to capture more information on issues, solving them faster.
A further digital initiative emulates the consumer online shopping experience – an equipment request portal enables users to select software, hardware and services, while helping them to build a business case, and automatically recommending additional products they may require. Built on Sunrise, it further helps reduce any set-up and support time by providing an up to date and centralised picture of IT assets. Interoperability with the core Sunrise platform additionally enables remote support sessions and pushing pop-up notifications to the user, for example in the case of a major incident requiring their action, while telephony integration is on the near horizon.
“As with the entire NHS, we have a focus on efficiency, and Sunrise enables us to automate many of our processes, giving staff time to handle more complex, more challenging jobs where they can really add value,” said David Gordon, Head of IT Service Operations, NHS Informatics Merseyside. “Our Shift Left strategy aims to automate activities, freeing up service desk time. Sunrise has helped drive a cultural change within the organisation, allowing us to innovate and deliver the easy experience that our increasingly digital customers expect, whatever their needs.”
