NWAS
our quality audit system that we developed in house which enables staff to carry out digital checks on vehicles . As well as check the tyres and what medicines are on board . The next step is to integrate the information with our stock management so we can automatically order something that ' s missing from the vehicle when we walk into the stock room , and it ' s already showing us exactly where it is ."
SafeCheck is also improving access to data . " We use it to track things like IPC audits and regular testing ," Sammut explains . Earlier this year it gave us an instant real time view of who had been vaccinated , who had been tested and who hadn ' t , and allowed the organisation to put the right measures in all the right places ."
" When we run infection prevention control audits , vehicle audits and medicine audits , we ' ve got the information readily at hand . But more importantly , we ' ve enabled the business to be able to see the information . Previously people would spend a lot of time collecting data on spreadsheets and on paper forms , but because we ' ve now digitised the actual work involved is just so minimal . It allows people to focus their time on putting in the improvements that the organisation needs rather than on the churn element of data ."
A number of partners have worked with NWAS on their new solutions , among them MIS who provide their computer aided dispatch ( CAD ) solution . " This is really our primary critical system for 999 ," Harrison explains . " The phone system and CAD are the two things that enable us to respond to the population . CAD auto dispatches ambulances , and our triage solution that enables us to manage our patients ."
MIS also provides the NWAS ' cloud platform , that helped to increase staffing levels during the pandemic as a result
STATS
• North West Ambulance Service serves more than 7 million people across 5,400 square miles in the north west of England
• Operates over 1,000 emergency and non-emergency vehicles
• Receives 1.3 million 999 calls each year
• Makes 1.5 million non-emergency patient transport journeys to and from healthcare appointments
• Handles 1.5 million NHwS 111 calls every year
of sickness and to cover the rise in call volumes . To do this they deployed the MIS ' training system to train new staff in offsite locations such as schools . " It ' s a really important relationship for us ," Harrison says .
" In the NHS we ' ve got really good procurement processes , and one of the key scores within that is whether somebody has delivered what we needed before . Being able to demonstrate that this is a safe system that ' s been used before is obviously an important part of for us .
" We also work with lots of new technology partners on our Smart sites , such as Integrated System Technologies ( ISTL ), Cliq , Paxton , Sony and Deister technologies . We ' ve had some great collaborations where we ' ve been able to hone our approaches to problem solve together , as opposed to being sold something that maybe isn ' t quite what we need .
" Technically you have to have the right platform , procedures and processes , and provide assurance in terms of documentation checks , but the personal relationship is an important part of that as well ."
142 December 2021