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.”