NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde case study

The power to improve patient care

When Scotland’s leading children’s hospital was being let down by an under-performing, over-burdened network, the NHS decided it was time for change. But, to install a comprehensive network in such a delicate environment, precise planning and highly skilled implementation would be essential.

IT staff needed a network capable of handling vital hospital applications – making functions more streamlined and delivering new and advanced care programmes. And by introducing a low-maintenance system that was easy to support, disruption to the hospital’s services would be minimised and IT staff freed from constant troubleshooting.

A carefully managed and highly flexible solution from ntl:Telewest Business provided the solution. With detailed planning, sensitive to the hospital’s functions, our consultants implemented an advanced and scalable network solution - able to cope with the demands of now, and the future.

Sensitively installing a network for the future

High-quality patient care and facilities are vital for Yorkhill and help them to set the standard across Scotland. Unfortunately, their network wasn’t helping them to achieve this. Years of growth and change had taken their toll, resulting in a very confusing piecemeal set-up. Even though the NHS had invested heavily in the infrastructure, the network complexities made it very inefficient.

Building a solution for change

So many network problems and no support or documentation to help was placing a heavy burden on IT staff. Slow applications and the impossibility of installing any advanced e-care solutions on the over-loaded network meant that something had to change – and fast.

Yorkhill turned to us for a solution. Our consultants worked closely with the hospital to develop a proposal to suit their needs and solve their problems. With an experienced project management team and a clear track record of delivering projects on time and on budget, ntl:Telewest Business gave Yorkhill the reassurance that we would meet their objectives and deliver the right result.

When Scotland’s leading children’s hospital was being let down by an under-performing, over-burdened network, the NHS decided it was time for change. But, to install a comprehensive network in such a delicate environment, precise planning and highly skilled implementation would be essential. IT staff needed a network capable of handling vital hospital applications – making functions more streamlined and delivering new and advanced care programmes. And by introducing a low-maintenance system that was easy to support, disruption to the hospital’s services would be minimised and IT staff freed from constant troubleshooting.

A carefully managed and highly flexible solution from ntl:Telewest Business provided the solution. With detailed planning, sensitive to the hospital’s functions, our consultants implemented an advanced and scalable network solution - able to cope with the demands of now, and the future.

Taking care with responsive management

Designing a network for the future meant that our experienced team had to create a solution that was not only highly adaptable, but also right first time. It was crucial that disruption at the children’s hospital was minimised – both during implementation and with any future upgrades or changes.

Fluid project management and exceptional communication were vital during the project’s implementation. We knew that our plans would have to change at a moment’s notice should an area of the hospital on our programme suddenly become inaccessible. Thanks to our careful planning and close relationship with Yorkhill, we installed the entire network – with the minimum of disruption - in just four months.“The installation was completely hassle-free,” said Brian Gracie, IT Manager, Yorkhill Hospital.

Dramatic results, easily managed

Our comprehensive system upgrades have given Yorkhill a highly resilient solution, with staff able to access the network from desktop to bedside – as they need to. And as the hospital changes, the network can too. We’ve designed it with growth and development in mind, and made network management remote, which means that staff can make changes or upgrades without disrupting patients and their families. Making sure that any maintenance is simple to carry out, our consultants have created a complete set of network documentation – giving staff everything they need to operate and maintain their brand new network.

What it has made possible

Electronic healthcare has seen an incredible boost at Yorkhill from the existence of the new network. With extra speed and capacity, the hospital’s staff can use a range of e-care solutions, increasing their productivity and delivering a really efficient service to the community. One example is PACS, a picture archiving system that allows patient images – such as x-rays – to be viewed instantly from any PC in the hospital.

Yorkhill can also now share patient records with other organisations – from schools to child support groups – to help integrate children’s services in the area. Brian is excited by the possibilities offered by the ntl:Telewest Business solution. “We’re now starting to reap the benefits of the solution by adding applications, like PACS, that were impossible to run across our old network.”