Each week as part of our Health Tech Heroes series we recognise and say thank you to those in health tech making a real difference.
Here in the fourth part in the series, we cover some of the amazing work this week where teams across the country have been working around the clock to deliver technology at pace to support health and care.
This national programme is open to anyone and every nomination will receive a Health Tech Hero mug – for when you have time to one day enjoy a cuppa!
You can view previous editions in the series here.
The Health Tech Heroes this week:
Cambridge University Hospitals’ in-house eHospital digital team
Afzal Chaudhry, Director of Digital, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust Said to HTN:
“Cambridge University Hospitals’ in-house eHospital digital team has been working around the clock to support the Trust with its COVID-19 efforts. The exceptional work of the team includes tailoring the Trust’s Epic electronic patient record system in-house to enable clinicians to track and monitor patients with suspected or confirmed COVID-19, and utilising extensive analytical tools within the system to manage and report screenings, test results, and resources. Significant extensions to our secure mobile and remote access capabilities has enabled a 300% increase in offsite working by staff as and when necessary, with clinicians able to access our Epic system to provide detailed support to colleagues whether on-site or off-site 24-hours a day.
“As a Trust we now have in excess of 31,000 patients using our Epic integrated MyChart patient portal to access their hospital health records, so clinicians are also using this effective tool to engage with patients outside of our hospitals to share information about COVID-19. An incredible digital team, supported by our primary IT providers Epic and Novosco, playing a fundamental role in supporting frontline staff to care for all patients of Addenbrooke’s and The Rosie hospitals during these unprecedented times.”
The IT\Digital department from the Royal Surrey Hospital
Mahesh Patel, the Chief Information Officer at Royal Surrey County Hospital reflects on IT supporting the frontline:
“In all of the years that I have worked in Technology, I cannot recall a time where I have been more proud of the IT\Digital team, who have been absolutely amazing in dealing with the COVID-19 crisis. We moved an entire on premise workforce to a fully mobile one in less than 3 weeks through a small, but extremely committed team, supported by volunteers from our neighbouring university.
“Our Digital staff from across service delivery, infrastructure, clinical applications, training and the project office, together with our external suppliers implemented a 10-fold network upgrade and provisioned a range of mobile devices and collaboration tools to enable staff to work effectively from home, and for our clinicians to undertake remote patient consultations and virtual clinical review meetings. Every member of staff across the hospital now has the ability to remotely access the Trust network through either a Trust owned, or personal computer supported by a wide array of on-line support.
“Teamwork is the key – work to everyone’s strengths and be prepared to change plans quickly – the next challenge is just around the corner!”
Gateshead Health NHS Foundation Trust Digital Team
Nick Black, Chief Digital Information Officer said to HTN:
“The teams deployed Nervecentre handover and assessments; they expanded WardWatcher to manage increased Critical Care; all focussing on the critical information the clinicians needed to collect to streamline patient care (and reporting!). In order to do this, a number of clinical staff had to start using the systems in real time (so loads needed training!).
“In order to enable this, the clinicians needed more access to devices onsite – both handheld and workstations, but also offsite with 400 remote workers using Trust devices and new virtual desktop capability from any device! This all gives the Trust a single view of the management of patients, in real time as information now flows directly into a live operational dashboard. All of this supports the Trust Digital Vision of ‘providing digital solutions and services that enable the Trust to be an outstanding place to work and an outstanding place to be cared for’.
“This is demonstrated by a Tweet we received from the daughter of a patient in the Trust; who hadn’t seen her dad for a month; we provided him (and all wards) with an iPad so the family could connect!
“Thanks to all the team for being fantastic!!!”
Kent and Medway NHS and Social Care Partnership Trust – IT Team and the Clinical Information Systems and Records Management Team
Jane Knox, Digital Business Partner and Communication and Engagement Digital Lead said to HTN:
“Our amazing team of technicians, engineers, field engineers, IT support staff and clinical information systems and records management team have, over the past three weeks, displayed a dedication and commitment to keeping the business not only operating as usual but also breaking barriers that might once have seemed impossible to achieve. Their passion, strength and determination to do the best job they can to ensure services have the technology they need to keep clinical teams providing patient care has seen them:
- Establish virtual teams for both the IT Service Desk and the Infrastructure teams, no mean feat I can assure you
- Support a massive increase in usage of, and licensed users for, our video conferencing service – licenced users 42 times higher; number of calls made 171 times higher; number of minutes spent in calls 386 times higher
- Purchase, build and distribute 200 additional laptops to enable more staff to work from home
- Build additional capacity for our Citrix Virtual Desktop to ensure its stability and capacity to enable over 3000 members of staff to work remotely
- Develop RiO to accommodate the accurate reporting of suspected & confirmed cases of COVID-19 including the creation of a valuable monitoring report
- Quickly configuring RiO to record video consultations as a means of assessment
- Create training videos to facilitate the continuation of our eObservations rollout whilst people are unable to attend the wards to train staff in person
- Set up and deliver RiO training in virtual classrooms
- Set up and manage virtual smartcard registrations
“Alongside all of this the IT team has still managed to: complete a second phase of our network switch rollout; upgrade our wireless management servers; network a refurbished ward and install a new video conferencing unit; upgrade our external NetScalers; complete an SQL migration for BI, RiO and Trust databases; apply an upgrade for the SQL reporting services; complete two second HSCN links; complete Firmware upgrades on both Storage infrastructures in our data centres; upgrade the Firmware backup solution; update our Citrix Virtual Desktop Gold Image; complete security patching and alerts with one high severity patch from NSH actioned; complete the configuration of eObservations devices; and build our Electronic Prescribing and Medicines Administration (EPMA) infrastructure.
“I am in awe of what they continue to achieve, full of admiration for the humour they have maintained whilst working under such huge pressures, and immensely proud that they have done all this while still supporting each other.”
