Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has introduced a collection of virtual access guides through the information platform, AccessAble, providing patients with support on routes and facilities within Bradford Royal Infirmary.
Using 360-degree virtual imagery, the system allows users to “explore hospital departments and wards in advance” through an interactive interface, with the aim to support patients, visitors and staff who have “a wide range of access needs”. Users are given a map of the hospital and can select from a number of areas to explore, with the tool offering key information on drop-off points, accessible toilets and seating areas.
According to the trust, the virtual guides work as a “reliable, user-friendly tool on both desktop and mobile devices, helping people to plan a visit or navigate areas in real time”, which is a “significant step forward in improving accessibility across hospital sites”.
Sam Hunter, estates and facilities project officer for the trust, spoke on the implementation of this new digital tool, commenting: “We’re always looking for new ways to improve access and wayfinding for patients and families, and AccessAble provides a brilliant solution which will help people get to where they need to be more quickly. Any hospital environment can seem complicated if you’re visiting for the first time, so we’re always keen to explore new ways to make it easy. We’ll be one of the first in the region to adopt this new innovative approach, and it’s just one of the many things we’re doing to help our visitors.”
Digital innovation in Bradford: the wider trend
Earlier this month, Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and Airedale NHS Foundation Trust issued a pipeline notice, indicating their intent to explore options and opportunities around a patient experience portal and digital by default letters. The contract has an estimated value of £1.7 million and is expected to last from March 2026 to February 2029.
Bradford Teaching Hospitals recently launched a new five-year digital and data transformation strategy, focusing on interoperable care pathways and systems, AI and automation, the modernisation of digital services, and digital literacy. The five strategic areas of activity cover: people, digital teams and talent; digital standards, leadership and services; data-driven care and decisions; digital and workflow optimisation; and clinical optimisation and interoperability.
In April, Bradford Teaching Hospitals went live with the CCube electronic document management system by Noveva Software Group. It followed the migration of 8 million digital documents from the previous incumbent Kainos Evolve system and will be utilised for clinical records, with a key requirement to seamlessly integrate with the Cerner/Oracle Health EPR.
