A collaboration between Stockport NHS Foundation Trust and technology provider CDW has led to the implementation of a number of digital systems as part of an 18-month transformation programme designed to support the trust with digital skills and equipment.
Systems introduced at the trust include Kontakt.io Real-Time Location Services solution, designed to help staff identify exactly where medical devices are on site to support efficiency and speed up response times; Cisco Wireless Network Infrastructure and Digital Informatics, aiming to support agile working across different locations along with access to data across various clinical areas; Imprivata’s Enterprise Access Management (previously OneSign), to assist staff with “quick and secure” log-ins; and Zebra mobile devices, aiming to provide “end-to-end traceability of blood products” through handheld digital scanners, which the trust hopes will improve efficiency and reduce capacity for error.
The programme was introduced after the the trust identified a need to “be smarter to maximise and optimise our existing resource”, with chief clinical information officer and clinical safety officer Holly Carr stating: “The new technology makes sharing devices and information more seamless and has enabled us to provide the infrastructure and digital capability to support a more agile working environment and mobile workforce across multiple care settings.”
Phillipa Winter, chief technologist for health and social care at CDW, adds that “the forward-thinking vision that Stockport NHS Foundation Trust harboured for integrating technology sparked genuine excitement” for her team, and shares hopes that the digital transformation programme will help the trust foster “a future where healthcare is not just efficient but deeply human-centred.”
In other news from NHS trusts, we reported that North Staffordshire Combined Healthcare NHS Trust is running a pilot project that sees virtual reality technology used to support staff wellbeing, in partnership with Phase Space VR.
We also covered the news that University Plymouth Hospitals NHS Trust announced the supplier for its new EPR; and Royal Devon University Healthcare has moved to a ‘digital by default’ approach for outpatient letters.
Earlier in the month, HTN highlighted the budget for long-term growth from the UK government, including funding for NHS digital transformation.
