Technology and Data in Nursing
Winner
North West Neonatal Operational Delivery Network: Creation of a digital neonatal parent passport
Many neonatal units issue Parent Passports that include information and checklists for parents to ensure they are confident partners in their baby’s care. These were paper based so there was little consistency between units or networks, and families often had to fill out extra forms when transferred, which were easily lost. Digitising the passport using the vCreate app made it consistent and accessible at any time, on any device. In addition, the auto-translation feature helped bridge the language barrier for non-English speaking families, bringing greater equity of access. Parents can explore the information and learn new skills at their own pace. One parent said it would “transform the neonatal journey”.
Finalists
Canford Healthcare: Harnessing technology for outstanding governance
A digital governance system facilitates
auditing, identifies trends and issues,
records and shares information, and
identifies and plans training needs. Staff spend less time on administration and
have more time to care, which has led to
better outcomes for residents.
Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust: The recovery and discharge planning tool
Patients worked towards discharge but there was a lack of awareness of barriers and what treatment was outstanding. A discharge readiness tool was launched, which identified early on an estimated discharge date, goals and potential barriers. Its use resulted in reduced length of stay and joined-up working, which improved the patient journey.
Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust: Digital health and wellbeing forms
An online confidential questionnaire was
created to provide health information to
young people and identify those
needing further intervention. Red-flag
questions/words enabled school nursing
teams to triage responses. More than
8,000 forms were completed, nearly half
of which revealed at least one red flag.
Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust: Preceptorship team
The team developed an app that helps
with the completion of competency
paperwork. It also features wellbeing
resources, clinical skills support, quick guides and a mood-check function that
enables support and advice to be
offered when needed. More than 57,000
user interactions have been achieved.
Milton Keynes University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust: Wisdom of patients
An online platform to rate, theme and
give a dashboard display of qualitative
data from patient feedback was
designed. The dashboard enabled staff
to access feedback by area, compare it
against other areas and hospitals, and
thoroughly analyse the data. In one year,
56,401 pieces of feedback were analysed.
Milton Keynes University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust: Digital Twin
A digital replica ward using Internet of Things sensors and a real-time locating system was introduced to improve care and staff productivity on single-room wards. Collecting data on room occupancy, the location of critical medical equipment and people’s movements allowed staff to view and react to events instantly, without disturbing patients.
The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust: Digital pre-assessment for cancer patients
The aim of the group digital pre-
assessment was to ensure all patients
due to start chemotherapy and/or
immunotherapy received standardised
information. Videos were also produced
so information was readily available and
could be accessed repeatedly. Patients
considered the initiative invaluable.
NHS Ayrshire and Arran: Improving timely administration of Parkinson’s medications in hospital
Electronic prescribing and ward
whiteboard systems were combined so
the medication of Parkinson’s patients’
could be managed, monitored and
audited across different departments.
The initiative led to greater in-time
medication administration.
Rotherham, Doncaster and South Humber NHS Foundation Trust: Children’s care group
Referrals to mental health services for
young people and waits for assessment
had increased following the Covid-19
pandemic. A pilot was launched and 40
people were referred for therapy via
virtual reality. Initial feedback from
service users and staff has been positive.
The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust: App for cancer information, support and wellbeing
An app was launched to help patients
with cancer find information on new
initiatives and relevant support at any
time, anywhere. An analytics package
allows staff to track the daily number of
downloads, users and views. More than
61,600 user interactions were recorded.
University of Salford: The Salford outbreak management tool
The Infection Control Estimate digital
tool was developed to support the
management of outbreaks of
communicable disease. Following
testing of a prototype, funding was
secured to develop web-based software
and feedback has been positive.