The Trust has chosen Intouch with Health to support the digital transformation of its outpatient department and to help deliver an improved hospital experience for patients while alleviating pressure on admin and clinical staff.
Managing more than 250,000 outpatient appointments every year, the Trust will deploy several digital solutions from Intouch to help overhaul the way outpatient journeys are managed for both patients and staff.
New patient-facing technology will include the introduction of digital patient check-in kiosks that will help reduce reception queues by allowing outpatients to register their arrival for their appointment via the kiosk before directing them to the relevant waiting area.
Digital patient-calling screens will also be deployed in patient waiting areas, which clinicians and staff can use to call patients forward from waiting areas to specific clinic rooms. Administration teams will also use the digital screens to display clinic waiting times to patients, ensuring the effective and efficient communication of information between staff and waiting patients.
Central to the new technology will be the introduction of Intouch’s Flow Manager digital dashboard; a central digital hub accessible by staff that allows them to monitor the progress of each visiting patient and their location in the department throughout the duration of their appointment.
The new technology will be deployed across the Greenoaks site and Early Pregnancy Assessment Unit, as well as Rotherham Community Health Centre, which has also been refurbished to support the move for all our Ophthalmology services.
Charlotte Smith, Project Manager, Health Informatics, said: “Flow Manager 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.
“This will be key to alleviating pressure on our busy clinical and admin staff while ensuring they have insight into each patient’s location and progress from the moment the arrive for their appointment to the moment they leave.
“Giving patients the ability to self-check-in for their outpatient appointment will mean fewer patients queueing to speak to a receptionist when they arrive, while at the same time freeing up reception teams to support patients who absolutely need their help on arrival, which will help deliver a much improved experience for all patients when they arrive at hospital.
“Clearly there are multiple benefits of this platform for both patients and staff, but one of the most important benefit of the Intouch Platform is the integration it provides with our Trust EPR. Joining-up systems and processes across the Trust is key to continuing to improve the patient experience and alleviate pressure on staff.
“Jagtar [Senior Project Manager at Intouch] has been really helpful, friendly and knowledgeable throughout this project – nothing has been too much trouble.”
David Elliott, Head of Projects at Intouch with Health, said: “The Rotherham Foundation NHS Trust is an innovative, organisation that continues to develop and grow at pace. One of the most forward-thinking digital trusts in the UK, they are at the leading edge of health service reform.
“Intouch is delighted to be supporting the Trust and its team with the ongoing digital transformation of its outpatient services, and we look forward to working together to achieving outstanding results.”