Here, we take a look at some of the latest health tech news and updates from across the NHS.
Imperial College Healthcare launches life sciences collaboration
Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust has announced a new partnership with ARC West London designed to drive innovation in life sciences and develop the local health ecosystem with a focus on Charing Cross Hospital, and the West London region.
The collaboration has also launched a co-working incubator lab, offering those with early-stage concepts the chance to access facilities, equipment and support to develop their ideas.
The announcement was welcomed by Stephen Cowan, leader of Hammersmith and Fulham Council, who called it a “major milestone in establishing our corner of West London as a global leader in science and technology”, adding: “By fostering collaboration between world-class research institutions, innovative companies, and the NHS, we are not only driving economic growth but also shaping the future of healthcare and deep tech in line with our Upstream London industrial strategy.”
150,000 patients now registered for Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust’s patient portal
Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust has shared that it now has 150,000 patients registered on its Patients Know Best patient portal, reporting 23,000 people using the service every week.
Patients are able to use the service to view appointment details and letters, clinical correspondence, discharge notifications, and health information, as well as to cancel or reschedule appointments.
The trust estimates that the portal has helped to avoid 200,000 letters from being printed and posted, saving over 600,000 sheets of paper, and supporting more than 10,000 appointment reschedules and cancellations.
Sarah Davis, COO at MTW, also highlighted the portal’s “integral part” in reducing DNAs and maximising clinic productivity, adding that feedback from patients has been “fantastic”.
Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre reaccredited with Stage 6 HIMSS EMRAM ranking
The Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre, part of Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, has been reaccredited with HIMSS EMRAM Stage 6 ranking.
Inspectors reportedly commented on the way that the trust is joining up healthcare for patients with the use of digital, including through structured and standardised nursing notes, noting: “By ensuring that record keeping practices are standardised, nurses can enhance their professional practice, safeguard patient outcomes, and contribute to the overall efficiency of healthcare delivery systems.”
The team at HIMSS are also quoted as saying: “A recurring theme we saw and heard from the staff was the passion for using technology as a driver of continuous service improvement. This was clearly reflected in your initiatives. Patient safety is at the forefront of everything you do in digital.”
Robotic surgery milestone at Bedfordshire Hospitals
Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is celebrating hitting a milestone, with more than 1,000 robotic assisted surgical procedures having been completed in the last two years. A da Vinci Xi robot was installed at each of the trust’s two sites in March 2023, and has since being used to treat conditions across bowel and renal cancer, endometriosis, uro-gynaecology, bariatric, general surgery and biliary surgery, and complex head and neck conditions.
Celebrating Bedford Hospital’s milestone 500th procedure was Kanapathi Rajaratnam, consultant in general and colorectal Surgery, who remarked on the “considerable achievement”, adding: “Introducing this new technology has brought so many benefits for our patients, and the commitment to innovation – and the training, education and research it brings – will help us retain and attract high calibre staff and trainees, establishing a place in the nation’s healthcare map.”
In total, 15 surgeons at the trust are now trained in using the da Vinci robot, according to the update, with all surgeons and their teams needing to go through a “comprehensive” training course before using the robot in surgery.
Ashford and St Peter’s completes 100 robotic resections
Ashford and St Peter’s Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has completed 100 robotic major bowel operations in the 18 months from July 2023 to the end of 2024, removing and reconstructing sections of large bowels in the treatment of conditions such as cancer, endometriosis, diverticular disease, colitis and crohn’s disease.
The trust’s robotic lead, Jonathan Trickett, highlighted some of the impacts that this type of surgery has had on patient care, noting: “Using our da Vinci robot for this type of surgery means we have seen a decrease in the length of hospital stay of patients, fewer complications, including surgical site infections, and fewer readmissions compared to laparoscopic or open surgeries.”
