Welcome to this latest edition of our news in brief, where we explore some of the latest health tech news from across health and care.
£200k digital check-in solution sought by Barts Health NHS Trust
Barts Health NHS Trust has shared plans to procure a digital check-in solution with a value of around £200,000. The preliminary market engagement notice sets out expectations for a contract to run from September 2026 to August 2029, for a period of three years.
After completing engagement with potential suppliers and the wider market, a contract notice is expected to be published in June, the trust goes on, with particular suitability for SMEs.
On demand video translation service introduced for British Sign Language and 500 spoken languages at Tameside & Glossop
An on demand video translation service has been introduced at Tameside and Glossop Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust, hoping to mitigate delays and cancellations occurring when face-to-face interpreters are unavailable, and improve access to healthcare services.
The InterpretersLive! application offers on demand translation for British Sign Language, and the Client Suite application caters for translation of more than 500 spoken languages, the trust notes. Tablets mounted on wheels allow staff to bring the apps into rooms or to bedsides, and the apps are also available on laptops and trust-issued mobile devices, with interpreters appearing on screen.
Following a pilot in ED, radiology, maternity, outpatients, women’s health, day surgery, and endoscopy, the trust is now working to make access possible for all services, it states.
East and North Hertfordshire NHS Trust awards patient engagement portal contract to Netcall
East and North Hertfordshire NHS Trust has awarded a patient engagement portal contract with a value of £176,000 to Netcall.
The contract has been awarded as a call-off from a framework agreement, and is set to run to the end of March 2027.
New surgical robot to benefit knee surgery patients at The Hillingdon Hospitals
A new surgical robot has been introduced at The Hillingdon Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, to be used for knee surgeries carried out at Mount Vernon Hospital from September 2026.
In an agreement with the manufacturer, the trust is to pay nothing as long as it carries out a certain number of surgeries per year. The plan is to perform an initial 80 surgeries, followed by a full audit to check outcomes, with “significantly more” procedures per year from March 2027.
It is hoped that use of the robot will reduce length of stay for knee surgery patients, allowing some to go home on the same day as their procedure.
Animated patient information videos promote understanding of CAR T-cell therapy at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals
Two new patient information videos have been introduced at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, offering a step-by-step guide into how CAR T-cell therapy works and common side effects.
The videos, developed in collaboration with specialist nursing, medical and pharmacy staff at the Royal Hallamshire Hospital, reportedly use animations and simple imagery to “present a complex scientific treatment and medical journey into digestible, easy-to-understand information”. They have been translated into 19 languages.
The trust shares hopes that the videos will support discussions between clinicians and patients on CAR T-cell therapy as a potential treatment option.
