The move follows a review which identified the need to
improve operational, business and clinical performance in
A&E. Proven at 20 other NHS hospitals, iSOFT's EDIS solution
gives the trust functions for triage, patient tracking and
clinical documentation, enabling clinical staff to monitor
patients' treatment and exact status in real time.
In time it will eliminate casualty cards in line with the
trust's drive to become paperless. Better management of
workloads will help cut waiting times and ready access to
patient and clinical information will help with clinical
decisions so improving patient care and outcomes.
The trust's director of IM&T, Martin Spotswood, says a key
aim is to ensure that every patient attending the emergency
department is either admitted, transferred or discharged
within the national waiting time targets.
"It will help us in our efforts to achieve compliance with
the new Care Quality Indicators, which we see as a key
indicator of our commitment to good patient care and also
provide us with the necessary reporting tools to accurately
measure these improvements.
"Being able to track and locate patients within the
department at all times will be a major asset and lead to an
improved patient experience," he added.
Stafford opted for an ASCC procurement because of an urgent
need for a new emergency system. The trust began the process
in May and plans to have the system in place before the end
of the year. "The ASCC framework gave us a shortlist of
accredited suppliers and pre-written contracts, so was easily
the fastest route, which was vital in meeting our aggressive
timescale," Spotswood said. "It also enabled us to capitalise
on the buying power of the NHS and negotiate a favourable
deal."
He says the decision was clinically-driven and that iSOFT's
EDIS solution was the "clinicians' system of
choice".
iSOFT, a CSC company, is Mid Staffordshire's incumbent IT
partner. Martin Spotswood said: "Our
confidence that iSOFT could deliver within the very demanding
timescale was key."
"Winning the contract in open competition is especially
satisfying as it clearly demonstrates the strength of our
product, the value of our service and that we remain cost
competitive," said Adrian Stevens, managing director of
iSOFT's UK and Ireland business.
The five-year deal includes iSOFT's electronic document
management solution so paper records can be scanned and
stored electronically for easier retrieval, which Spotswood
says is again part of the trust's "paper-light" agenda.
Stafford Hospital's emergency department dealt with 74,000
cases last year.
Brian Hemming Communications Team
iSOFT PR Manager Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust
CSC t: 07773 048641
t: +44 1295 274240 e: communications@midstaffs.nhs.uk
m: +44 7748 920528
About CSC
CSC is a global leader in providing technology-enabled business solutions and services. Headquartered in Falls Church, Va., CSC has approximately 93,000 employees and reported revenue of $16.2 billion for the 12 months ended July 1, 2011. For more information, visit the company's website at www.csc.com .
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