University Hospitals Dorset NHS Foundation Trust expands digital patient flow pathway
Intouch with Health is pleased to announce a new three-year digital patient flow contract with University Hospitals Dorset NHS Foundation Trust. This contract expands the use of the Intouch Platform to Royal Bournemouth Hospital and Christchurch Hospital, transforming the outpatient departments to help deliver an improved hospital experience for patients while alleviating pressure on its admin and clinical teams.
Intouch with Health began working with the trust back in 2019 at Poole Hospital, and more recently, supporting the opening of the remote Outpatient Assessment Clinic - the Dorset Health Village in Beales Department Store in Poole, which opened in December 2021.
“Our staff will also benefit from being able to plan a patient’s appointment in advance, creating pre-planned workstreams, via Activity Manager.”
Michele Roberts, Directorate Manager, Outpatient Department at the trust said: “Expanding the use of the Intouch Platform to our hospitals in Bournemouth and Christchurch will allow our staff to manage each stage of the patient journey from a single location. They can quickly see which patients have arrived, which have not checked-in, if each patient is in the appropriate waiting room, if they have been called to see the clinician and when they have finished seeing the clinician.”
She continued: “Our staff will also benefit from being able to plan a patient’s appointment in advance, creating pre-planned workstreams via Activity Manager, to ensure their time with us is efficient and as stress-free as possible. We’re pleased to replicate the digital patient flow pathways currently used at Poole to Bournemouth and Christchurch, which will provide greater consistency in our processes, as well as additional system integration benefits.”
Sharon Gater, Director of Account Services at Intouch with Health commented: “We are pleased that following the successful introduction of Intouch with Health’s digital patient flow technology at Poole Hospital and the remote assessment clinic, the trust has chosen to extend the use of the technology to Royal Bournemouth Hospital and Christchurch Hospital.
“The introduction of self-check-in kiosks and calling screens to display clinic waiting times and call patients forward to their clinician has already proved successful with patients and staff alike at Poole Hospital, helping to reduce check-in queues, support social distancing measures and improve communication between staff and patients.
“We are delighted to be working alongside the University Hospitals Dorset NHS Foundation Trust team on this project and look forward to working closely alongside them to deliver their ongoing digital transformation of outpatients.”
About University Hospitals Dorset NHS Foundation Trust
University Hospitals Dorset NHS Foundation Trust is comprised of three hospitals; the Royal Bournemouth Hospital, Poole Hospital and Christchurch Hospital, which merged on 1 October 2020, creating a new organisation – providing opportunities and benefits to the way patient care is delivered, leading to better outcomes, improved quality and more efficient service delivery.
The Trust serves a population of more than 800,000 people and employs more than 9,000 members of staff. In addition to general hospital services, the Trust provides a range of specialist services and facilities including: medical and clinical oncology services for the whole of Dorset, a major trauma unit serving a population of more than 500,000 people, a state-of-the-art cardiology unit, and an award-winning orthopaedic service providing hip and knee replacements.