HTN speaks to Tim Quainton, Managing Director of Silverlink Software about how Covid-19 has changed the healthcare space and his biggest achievements over the last few months.
Tell me about your organisation.
Silverlink Software is an independently owned software company based in Newcastle, specialising in the delivery of a Patient Administration System (PAS) specifically designed for the NHS. The technology provides access to high-volumes of data in real-time to track patients in beds, bays and wards across the country.
We have been successful in the NHS, mainly because of our flexible approach and user-friendly solution. It’s also specifically designed to underpin a best-of-breed approach to digital transformation, which can deliver the same benefits as a single-supplier EPR, but without the same levels of vendor lock-in, long-term commitment and financial investment. It’s no secret that many NHS organisations are strapped for cash, which is why this approach is so appealing, as it allows them to add clinical functionality and innovation at their own pace, whilst also helping to protect previous digital deployments.
On a personal note, I have been working for Silverlink since 2009, and throughout my time we have worked with a wide range of customers, from small single speciality hospitals to district hospitals.
Talk us through one of your customer projects during Covid-19.
Our customer, Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust, reached out to us in March to see if we could help equip the new Nightingale Hospital at the Harrogate Convention Centre with a PAS. We extended the use of our solution at Harrogate and District free of charge, so that staff at the Nightingale could admit Covid patients from across Yorkshire and the Humber, and access underlying data about patients from across the region. It was remarkable what was achieved, although it wouldn’t have been possible without the fast and effective decision-making by the team at Harrogate to get the Nightingale Hospital ready in time.
How has Covid-19 changed the healthcare space?
It’s well documented that during the pandemic a number of projects that would normally take years to complete have been implemented in a matter of weeks, and it’s hugely encouraging to see the speed at which technology is being adopted.
A lot of the hospitals we work with have developed administrative tasks that have been in place for 40 years, and when processes are that ingrained it becomes very difficult to change collective attitudes and mindsets. But Covid–19 has given us very little choice, and I think that the acceleration in innovation has been a result of greater understanding as to the value of digital technology, and how it can be harnessed to maintain high-quality patient care, in spite of the difficult circumstances we’re faced with. Just one example of this from Silverlink is how we’ve been looking at integrating video conferencing into our patient slots — with input from our user group — to reduce the need for face-to-face consultations.
With people being forced to rethink the traditional ways of working, there is a significant opportunity to capitalise on the progress we’ve made and integrate advancements into a longer-term digital transformation programme, instead of reverting back to original ways of working. As we see it, a best-of-breed approach to digital transformation will be fundamental in capitalising on momentum that has been built over the past few months by offering the flexibility to introduce incremental changes suited to the timescales, needs and budget.
What are you most proud of over the last few months?
We’ve been extremely busy over the past few months, and there have been a number of significant developments with customers over the past year that we are extremely proud of. For instance, we are integrating with the patient engagement app, Zesty, at Royal Wolverhampton to help reduce the backlog of patients post-Covid, and we recently renewed a 17-year-long partnership with The Walton Centre to help them advance their best-of-breed digital strategy. But if I had to choose, I would say that I am most proud of my team, as we have managed to continue to deliver our services to customers throughout the course of the pandemic, in spite of the on-going pressures and members of our team contracting Coronavirus.
It has also been really rewarding to work with the Nightingale hospital, and I am proud that we were able to provide them with an extra level of cover at such an important time.
What’s the best piece of career advice you’ve been given?
I’ve received a lot of good advice during my career, but I would say the best came during my time at STEMM. The advice was to stay within your area of domain knowledge, maintain an open mind, and listen to other people’s ideas. I think we can all become a bit too opinionated at times, and so I think it is important to take a step back, listen and try to build upon the ideas of those around you, as well as your own.
If I was giving advice now, I would also say that I think it is essential to get the widest level of experience you can, very early on in your career. You learn more from experience than you can any way else.
What is in the pipeline for 2021?
2021 is set to be a busy year for Silverlink. At the moment, we’re working on a number of bids with a clinical vendor, with the intention of supplying our PAS to NHS sites in 2021 alongside their unique clinical offering. In line with our best-of-breed approach, this new partnership will enhance the overall proposition we can provide, and we’re really excited to see how things play out.
We will also be working with our existing customers to introduce new functionality across the board. For instance, we’re in the process of consulting with a number of our customers to explore improvements to the latest version of our Theatres Module, which integrates with waiting lists, as well as inpatient and outpatient activity to manage a patients’ surgical encounters within a hospital.
Lastly, we will continue to strengthen our integration offering to meet the new requirements for patient-facing apps.
