In this case study, South-West London Integrated Care System (SWL ICS) digital pioneer Alan Rio, Senior Project Director in the Improvement and Transformation Department at Central London Community Healthcare NHS Trust, explains how he works to the digitalization of clinical workflows at Bedded. Services.
Project summary
The vision is to digitize clinical workflows in Bedded services. Staff will also receive digital resources to access the information they need to make more informed clinical decisions.
the project’s objectives
National funding has become available for frontline digitalization due to the shift from paper-based electronic patient records (EPRs) to digital platforms. Although there have been some delays, the EPR transformation at Central London Community Healthcare NHS Trust (CLCH) is now underway. The scale of the project constitutes the main challenge, as it covers 240 beds, 12 wards, 8 hospitals and 600 staff, all of whom need digital skills training.
The project plan takes a three-phase delivery approach and is managed by a CLCH project team who will commission Capita, via detailed Change Control Notices (CCNs). This discrete work will include core business process analysis of the paper-based process, reconfiguration of clinical systems into clinical workflows, and on-site training for support staff. Training and support will be delivered through current mechanisms which include CLCH resources. Legal reporting requirements are currently being reviewed and will be implemented in parallel.
Main challenges
- Project team resource requirements: Completion of the project will require an experienced project team, skilled in managing complex changes in the clinical environment and effectively communicating project progress to a broad audience.
- Delivery planning staffing and engagement of the clinical applications team: On-time delivery of the project can be a challenge for the Trust partner.
- Digital assets, including mobile devices and fixed assets: There is limited knowledge of digital assets within the trust and how these can be integrated into workflows.
- Reconfiguration of the CLCH fleet to secure, store and recharge new digital assets: The clinical environment has limited capacity and physical space to secure, store and load new digital assets.
- Development of digital skills of end users of the clinical system: Digital exclusion remains a serious problem within society and among working adults.
Impact/Results
In 2023, we conducted a staff survey, the data from which showed positive opinions and support for the transition to new ways of working using digital technologies.
Once fully integrated, NHS staff will be able to work more efficiently through the use of digital devices rather than paper methods (for example, they will not have to wait for import). This also benefits patients who will see an improvement in the quality of their care thanks to better information on clinical decisions since the information will be updated in real time. Patients were also included in the development of the project, allowing us to take into account their opinions and comments.
Clinical, administrative and community staff will also have simultaneous access to view and enter information into the clinical record, regardless of location, supporting improved collaboration and communication between teams and benefiting patients. As part of this transition, these staff will develop new digital skills, improving patient care and positively impacting society as a whole as these skills permeate into communities. Each unit department will strive to minimize paper consumption, particularly for printing, thereby contributing to environmental sustainability efforts.
In a word, I am very pleased that the needs and well-being of patients seem to be high on the priority list, and that one of the aims of the whole digitalization strategy is to give staff more time to meet the needs of these patients. . As you have probably understood by now, I will speak up if I feel that there is something wrong and that needs to be resolved. I participate in the meetings that take place and being an active member of the project allows me to have visibility on many parts of the project such as purchasing. I really like being part of the CLCH project because it adds transparency and I can contribute if necessary.
CLCH Project Staff Member
Implementation of Electronic Prescribing and Medication Administration (EPMA) module within clinical systems could significantly improve medication safety by avoiding missed or delayed doses, documentation errors, and incorrect administrations. Real-time recording of admission, discharge and transfer (ADT) data will facilitate efficient bed management and patient flow within the healthcare system.
Digitizing processes such as the National Early Warning Score 2 (NEWS2) could also improve the effectiveness of healthcare assistants (HCAs). Additionally, reducing paper consumption mitigates environmental impact by reducing CO2 emissions associated with production, but also mitigates the risk of inaccessible or unrecoverable paper documents, in line with data protection legislation and guidelines document management system in the NHS, with a target set for 2025.
Next steps
The next steps will be the implementation of EPR, and future work processes will be primarily digital and paper-based.
Alan Rio is a member of the first cohort of the SWL ICS Digital Pioneer Fellowship program.
THE SWL ICS Digital Pioneer Scholarship Program supports changemakers employed by the NHS, local authorities and voluntary sector organizations in South West London to design and lead health and care transformation projects supported by digital innovation. Funded by the South-West London Integrated Care System, the program builds on the DigitalHealth.London’s Digital Pioneer Fellowship programme, but is aimed specifically at staff employed by the NHS, local authorities and voluntary sector organizations in the South-West. West London.
To learn more about other fellows in the first cohort of the SWL ICS Digital Pioneer Fellowship program, please refer to our directory of innovations.
