BT has been awarded a contract by Humber NHS Foundation Trust to provide a new enterprise mobility solution to healthcare professionals.
With software provided by Belfast’s TotalMobile, staff at the Trust will be able to access patient records, update notes and view schedules from anywhere using a mobile device of their choice.
The solution integrates with the existing electronic patient record system to incorporate workforce and workflow management software. Records and schedules are located on a BT-hosted platform, compliant with the Health and Social Care Information Centre standards for information security.
While helping clinicians work more effectively, the new system should help to reduce costs by reducing the need to return to base and allowing more time to be spent on care.
Initial roll-out of the enterprise mobility solution will begin this summer, reaching 500 healthcare professionals in the first phase of deployment.
Purchased using the government’s G-Cloud procurement framework, the solution is being partly funded by NHS England’s £65 million Nursing Technology Fund, launched in 2012 to help medical professionals to use digital technology to improve care.
Adrian Snarr, director of Finance, Infrastructure and Informatics at Humber NHS Foundation Trust, said: "Our Trust serves a population of 600,000 over a large geographic area."
He continued: "This mobile service allows our staff to gain instant secure access to the most up to date information stored on our electronic patient record system. This means our community teams for example, can plan their visits more efficiently and effectively to maximise their time with their patients.
"Using G-Cloud we were able to speed up the procurement process as a whole and keep the costs down as we didn’t have to go to the expense of putting the contract out to tender."
Ian Dalton, president of Global Government and Health, BT Global Services, said: "The NHS is facing huge financial challenges and we’re excited by the opportunities mobile working can offer organisations such as Humber NHS Foundation Trust to work smarter and more cost-effectively.
"Not only can it reduce travel and administration, freeing staff up to spend more time with their patients, but it can empower them to provide the highest quality patient care. This is clearly not just about technology, it’s about transforming care and services."
