In the first phase of this five-year project, 140 staff will get the devices, supplied by BT Health, which already provides the health service’s N3 data network and is prime contractor for NHS IT upgrades in London.
The laptops will have built-in remote-access technology under the five-year managed service deal. BT Health will supply up to 400 community staff with wireless-connected, semi-rugged Panasonic Toughbooks.
Smartcard reader
The wireless-linked laptops, which include a Smartcard reader, will provide staff with secure access to clinical records, email and support systems and data when working in the community or in a patient’s home. The Smartcard reader will enable the Trust to use the mobile service in conjunction with the NHS National Programme for IT identification smartcards, which are required to access the NHS spine, and also for applications such as the Personal Demographic Service and Care Records Service.
The new service is called Mobile Health Worker – a managed service tailored to the particular NHS customer that covers the devices they choose. It has a managed, secure end-to-end service, a managed service desk and mobile express access to the most common mobile-phone system in the world, GPRS. An early pilot with North Lincolnshire Primary Care Trust has already indicated that cost savings of STG £400 per week per clinician could be achievable.
Trevor Wright, Associate Director of Informatics for North Lincolnshire Primary Care Trust and North-east Lincolnshire Primary Care Trust said: “Staff involved in the pilot found that the Mobile Health Worker saved valuable time by allowing them to consult patients’ full records in-between appointments and at the time of consultation, meaning they could both keep records updated and make fully informed assessments and clinical decisions without going back to the office.”
Although there have been existing mobile customers across the NHS, the North Lincolnshire project is breaking new ground and is the first deployment of Mobile Health Worker.
The take-up of mobility solutions, which has been predicted for years, has been slow in the UK. But with product, service and price now much more compelling, the demand looks set to increase.
Complex needs
“Many of the patients who are seen in their own homes have complex needs, and being able to access their medical records during the visit means that you can make more informed decisions about planning their care and treatment,” said District Nurse Kathy Drayton, who works for North Lincolnshire Primary Care Trust. “Real-time access to patient records, planned care and current health service provision can reduce the need for unnecessary referrals and hospital admissions.”
Huge potential
The Panasonic Toughbooks supplied to North Lincolnshire Primary Care Trust include a built-in antenna, GPRS sim card and BT’s Field Force Automation technology. BT Health Chief Executive Officer, Stuart Hill, said that there is huge potential in the e-health market.
He compared the growth in demand for mobile solutions with his experience of early broadband when it launched. “I remember when ISDN first launched,” he said. “After 18 months we’d sold 300 units, but just look at the broadband market now.” community nurses in Lincolnshire are set to have access to laptops which will allow them access patients' records during their visits
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Quelle/Source: Irish Medical Times, 01.04.2008
