Patient safety

20.08.20

East of England Ambulance Service handed £5m digital funding boost

A £5m funding boost has been awarded to the East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust (EEAST) to drive digital transformation projects within the trust, aiming at further improving the safety and quality of the care which staff are able to provide to patients.

Named as one of 24 trusts, and the only ambulance service, to serve as a pilot site for the new NHSX-ran digital aspirant programme, the funding will help bolster the trust’s digital capabilities and progress.

The funding award will be spread over the next two years and will be used to help the trust move closer towards its goal of becoming paperless by 2023/24 by modernising technology and speeding up a range of digital projects already taking place.

These projects include:

  • Replacing the Trust’s network with a modern Health and Social Care Network, which will give care homes and all NHS organisations – including GP surgeries, acute hospitals and community services – the chance to exchange electronic information reliably and efficiently. This will reduce duplication and improve the experience which patients have when receiving care as they will only need to tell their story once.
  • Replacing the Trust’s dated electronic patient care record system with a modern, flexible and fully integrated system which will allow staff to share information easily and securely with healthcare partners. The technology will reduce the handover time at hospital emergency departments by around five minutes. As EEAST currently hands over 750,000 patients each year, this will free up an estimated 1,680 days, in turn helping crews to get back on the road more quickly.
  • Providing 3,500 frontline staff with iPads so they can complete mandatory training and access clinical information and any other resources they may need while they are out on the road. By 2021, staff will also be able to view electronic patient records on the devices, giving them a full patient history and information about test results and medications, which will allow them to provide more tailored care.
  • Replacing the Trust’s existing telephone system with an internet-based system which will be faster, more reliable, have greater resilience and provide better value for money.
  • Introducing a ‘cloud-first’ environment, including Office365 for all staff.

Stephen Bromhall, Chief Information Officer with EEAST, said: “We are delighted to named as a pilot site for the digital aspirant programme. It gives us a real opportunity to lead the way as the NHS moves towards the government’s aim of becoming paperless within the coming years by making better use of technology.

“The funding will help us accelerate several exciting projects which will benefit our patients and crews by allowing them to share information with other NHS organisations easily and securely. Not only will this improve efficiency, but also help us shave valuable minutes off hospital handover times.

“We will be sharing our learning and best practice with others from across the country as our initiatives progress so that they can begin their own projects to benefit patients.”

Comments

There are no comments. Why not be the first?

Add your comment

national health executive tv

more videos >

latest healthcare news

National trial to investigative best treatment for childhood asthma

11/09/2020National trial to investigative best treatment for childhood asthma

An innovative new £1.5m national clinical trial looking at finding the best treatment for childhood asthma has been funded by NIHR. Le... more >
New agreement reached to benefit NHS junior doctors

10/09/2020New agreement reached to benefit NHS junior doctors

Junior doctors in the NHS will now also be able to undertake their training in independent hospitals after a new agreement was reached between in... more >
NHS capability for advanced therapy boosted by further investment

10/09/2020NHS capability for advanced therapy boosted by further investment

An additional £9.5m funding boost has been awarded by the UK Government into the Advanced Therapy Treatment Centre (ATTC) network. Est... more >

editor's comment

26/06/2020Adapting and Innovating

Matt Roberts, National Health Executive Editorial Lead. NHE May/June 2020 Edition We’ve been through so much as a health sector and a society in recent months with coronavirus and nothing can take away from the loss and difficulties that we’ve faced but it vital we also don’t disregard the amazing efforts we’v... read more >

last word

Haseeb Ahmad: ‘We all have a role to play in getting innovations quicker’

Haseeb Ahmad: ‘We all have a role to play in getting innovations quicker’

Haseeb Ahmad, president of the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI), sits down with National Health Executive as part of our Last Word Q&A series. Would you talk us th... more > more last word articles >

the scalpel's daily blog

Covid-19 can signal a new deal with the public on health

28/08/2020Covid-19 can signal a new deal with the public on health

Danny Mortimer, Chief Executive, NHS Employers & Deputy Chief Executive, NHS Confederation The common enemy of coronavirus united the public side by side with the NHS in a way that many had not seen in their lifetimes and for others evoked war-time memories. It was an image of defiance personified by the unforgettable N... more >
read more blog posts from 'the scalpel' >

comment

NHS England dementia director prescribes rugby for mental health and dementia patients

23/09/2019NHS England dementia director prescribes rugby for mental health and dementia patients

Reason to celebrate as NHS says watching rugby can be good for your mental health and wellbeing. As the best rugby players in the world repr... more >
Peter Kyle MP: It’s time to say thank you this Public Service Day

21/06/2019Peter Kyle MP: It’s time to say thank you this Public Service Day

Taking time to say thank you is one of the hidden pillars of a society. Being on the receiving end of some “thanks” can make communit... more >
Nurses named as least-appreciated public sector workers

13/06/2019Nurses named as least-appreciated public sector workers

Nurses have been named as the most under-appreciated public sector professionals as new research reveals how shockingly under-vauled our NHS, edu... more >
Creating the Cardigan integrated care centre

10/06/2019Creating the Cardigan integrated care centre

Peter Skitt, county director and commissioner for Ceredigion Hywel Dda University Health Board, looks ahead to the new integrated care centre bei... more >

interviews

Matt Hancock says GP recruitment is on the rise to support ‘bedrock of the NHS’

24/10/2019Matt Hancock says GP recruitment is on the rise to support ‘bedrock of the NHS’

Today, speaking at the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) annual conference, Matt Hancock highlighted what he believes to be the three... more >
NHS dreams come true for Teesside domestic

17/09/2019NHS dreams come true for Teesside domestic

Over 20 years ago, a Teesside hospital cleaner put down her mop and took steps towards her midwifery dreams. Lisa Payne has been delivering ... more >
How can winter pressures be dealt with? Introduce a National Social Care Service, RCP president suggests

24/10/2018How can winter pressures be dealt with? Introduce a National Social Care Service, RCP president suggests

A dedicated national social care service could be a potential solution to surging demand burdening acute health providers over the winter months,... more >
RCP president on new Liverpool college building: ‘This will be a hub for clinicians in the north’

24/10/2018RCP president on new Liverpool college building: ‘This will be a hub for clinicians in the north’

The president of the Royal College of Physicians (RCP) has told NHE that the college’s new headquarters based in Liverpool will become a hu... more >

health service focus

View all News