Features published each month
Contents
July 2008
Self-service storage: has
its moment arrived?
Geoff Hough of 3PAR wonders why the provisioning of storage in data
centres is done in such an inefficient way and lays out the
technology path for developing self-service storage systems that
would make it easier, more efficient and cost-effective for data
centre users to manage their storage. July 2008
Storage security — who
cares?
The need for business continuity and compliance with regulations
make it increasingly important for organisations to make storage
security a high priority. Bjarne Madsen of the Storage
Networking Industry Association discusses the issues and outlines
the elements of good storage security. July 2008
The Gloucestershire virtual school
for children in care
Gloucestershire County Council’s virtual school is responsible for
over 400 children in care from 5-19 years of age. Online classes
were set up in order to help the youngsters achieve as much as other
pupils in education. The virtual school has no physical site and few teachers, but offers individual
online learning programmes with encouraging results. Head Teacher of
the Virtual School, Jane Featherstone explains how. July 2008.
read more ...
Only one copy! How to deal with data
duplication
Unnecessary duplication of data is a common problem in the digital
world. Glyn Bowden of the Data Management Forum outlines the
options for overcoming the problem. July 2008.
read more ...
The green data centre
Phil Andrews of Cisco discusses ways to improve efficiency of
server usage, reducing energy requirements and increasing efficiency
of storage resources. July 2008. read more
...
Healthcare 2030 — how can technology
help?
Bill McAvoy of Quicksilva looks at the changes that will be needed
in the provision of healthcare in the next decades. With the UK’s
healthcare needs changing rapidly how can technology help maximise
resources and cope with an aging and less healthy population? July
2008. read more ...
Telecare puts cardiology expertise
in the heart of Southampton's primary care
Chris Webb of Southampton Primary Care Trust outlines how how
a cardiac telemedicine service enabled the Trust to monitor
patients' weight and ECGs in primary care and provide a more
accessible and timely care for the patients. July 2008.
read more ...
RFID wristbands track patients safely through surgery
Consultant Surgeon David Morgan describes the development of a
patient wristband system that uses wireless tags to identify and
track patients going into surgery, ensure theatre processes are
carried out correctly prior to surgery and improve surgery workflow. The
efficiency of the system enabled surgeons to increase the number of
operations they could perform and the improved safety has the
potential to reduce the costs of clinical negligence claims in
hospitals. July 2008. read more ...
June 2008
Integrating disparate computer systems into the NHS
Ann Wrightson from the CSW Group Technology
Office looks at current thinking in the international
interoperability community on strategies for coping with the
problems of integrating the diverse computer systems in use in
healthcare services. June 2008. read more
...
May 2008
Equipment location tracking in hospitals
Roger Hockaday of Aruba Networks describes how real-time location
services can improve the efficiency of equipment management in
hospitals. May 2008. read more ...
HFEA unveils new audience-centred website
The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA)
needed to shift the focus of its website to cater for an
ever-increasing audience, as well as ensure 100% stability at times
of peak traffic. After a detailed site review, web design experts
Precedent were selected to transform the site and a content
management system from Red Dot was chosen to streamline management
of the site. May 2008. read more...
 Multimedia PACS networks healthcare services on the Balearic
Islands
All public hospitals and about 80 primary health centres
in the Spanish
region of Islas Baleares are building the foundation of a health
service network which is — with its scope and depth of integration —
unique in Europe. May 2008. read
more ...
Managed service keeps Newham's networks running
In an acute hospital environment network downtime, however small,
can have serious consequences. Continuously available IT systems are
critical in enabling the infrastructure to support medical and
administrative staff. Newham University Hospital NHS Trust chose a
network management service to ensure the availability, speed and
reliability of an IT infrastructure capable of supporting some 5000
healthcare staff. May 2008. read more ...
Selecting and managing inhouse trainers at Heatherwood & Wexham
Hospitals
On adopting new digital radiology systems, Heatherwood and Wexham
Park Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust identified a problem with
training enough of its staff to use the new systems. The Trust
rolled out a 'training cascade'
programme with minimum disruption to existing services. The Trust can
now offer a high quality diagnostic imaging service and has the
capability to support existing and new staff to use the systems. May 2008.
read more ...
Home is where the best heart care is
Joshua Rowe, of telemedicine specialist Broomwell Healthwatch,
explains how a cardiac telemedicine service can improve patient care
whilst cutting the cost of congestive heart failure (CHF). May 2008.
read more ...
April 2008
The Doctor's viewpoint: Intelligent
medical IT
Dr Sebastian Zeki gives a personal insight into life on the front line
for a user of hospital IT systems. This month he gives his five
basic principles for the design of successful IT systems.
April 2008.
read more ...
Using
GIS to get foundation trust membership right from the start
Paul Smith of Active Solutions Europe discusses the
applications of geographic and demographic information in the pre-
and post- authorisation phases of foundation trusts. April 2008.
read more ...
18 weeks… and counting
As the 18-week referral-to-treatment deadline for the NHS gets
closer , David Beeson of Ardentia discusses the issues that NHS
trusts face and how they can best meet reporting requirements to
ensure compliance and guarantee the best possible access to care.
April 2008. read more ...
West London Mental Health Trust
optimises IT help desk support
To support 2,500 members of staff across 30 sites, help desk
optimisation was needed to improve service delivery. IT business
management (ITBM) software has enabled the trust to customise
processes around the requirements of staff and monitor and analyse
work performed by the support team, reducing human error while
increasing the quality of service. read
more ...
Nottingham City Council delivers community-level geographical
information
Nottingham City Council is using geographic information systems
to present strategic partner data online in a localised, interactive
and eye-catching graphical format, supporting evidence-based
decision making and reporting at the community level. April 2008.
read more ...
Elearning: the solution to the NHS’s training shortfall?
Ian ockerill of Adobe Systems reviews the role that
modern elearning programs
could play in providing effective and efficient learning tools for
time-pressed NHS staff. April 2008. read
more ...
Automated referrals reduce waiting
times for North Staffordshire orthopaedic service
Paper-based methods were leading to long delays in getting patients
referred to musculoskeletal services and inefficiencies in managing
records. The development of an electronic referral and discharge
system for its SMASHERS project reduced referral time to hours, and
streamlined document management. April 2008.
read more ...
March 2008
The National Library for Health — an architecture for knowledge
discovery to delivery
Ian McKinnell Head of Development at the National Library for Health
summarises the achievements of the Library in its aim to build a
modern, networked library service that links users to both digital
and physical library services, putting knowledge to work to
transform patient care and public health.
March 2008. read more...
Technology and training go hand-in-hand
Chris Davies for Steljes Ltd, explores the vital role technology
plays in training a new generation of healthcare professionals.
March 2008. read more...
A finger on the pulse
of security
Jim Fulton of DigitalPersona discusses the advantages of
biometric security for authorising logon to IT systems. March 2008.
read more ...
The Doctor's viewpoint:
What the bleep!
Dr Sebastian Zeki gives a personal insight into life on the front
line for a user of hospital ICT systems. This month he looks at the
inefficient but ubiquitous hospital bleeper. March 2008.
read more ...
First steps towards fully integrated working in the London
Borough of Newham
Multi-agency information sharing and data matching issues have
recently raised serious concerns throughout the public sector.
Acknowledging the importance of integrated working in improving
outcomes for children and young people, the London Borough of Newham
sought a solution to address the inefficiencies of pre-existing
disparate systems. March 2008. read more
...
February 2008
Creative server virtualisation gives Leeds trust business
continuity
Leeds Partnerships NHS Foundation Trust has consolidated a large
number of separate
servers into a virtualised environment, moved to a centralised SAN
structure for storage and improved a remote disaster-recovery site,
re-using some of the original servers. The Trust now enjoys an IT structure that supports future
growth and change requirements as well as providing critical business
continuity.
February 2008. read more ... Technology-assisted supported living for people with autism in
Waltham Forest
The Waltham Forest supported living scheme provides self-contained flats with
staff on-call 24-hours a day and a combination of safety-design
features, assistive technology and telecare technology to enable
people affected by autism to live independently and enjoy a more
active role in the community. February 2008.
read more ...
Opinion: Information-sharing lessons from the
Victoria Climbié case
Andrew Meiner of Cambio Healthcare
Systems discusses the importance of interoperability and information
sharing in providing complete care across the healthcare
landscape.
February 2008. read more ...
Moving care closer to home
Healthcare policy in the UK is changing from providing care in acute
hospitals to providing it closer to home. Implementing this policy
requires changes in the way care is commissioned. The NHS Institute
for Innovation and Improvement has developed a new range of products
to help healthcare commissioners plan and deliver the changes
required. February 2008. read more ...
Touchscreen self check-in system keeps GP queues moving
One way of saving time at check-in is to let patients check
themselves in using a touchscreen linked to the GP practice software
that presents a series of questions to check identity and gives a
colour code that alerts the patient when the doctor is ready.
February 2008. read more ...
Managing disease outbreaks with information technology
Disease outbreaks can have significant effects not just on the
people infected, but on business and the social and technological
infrastructure. Dr Dennis McShane of Clinical Solutions
describes how information technology can help both government and
the public manage disease outbreaks. read
more ...
Listening to the sound of success can overcome scepticism of
screening programmes
Screening programmes allow early identification of
health problems and enable resources to be targeted more
appropriately. The NHS Newborn Hearing Screening Programme is one of
the most successful screening programmes in the NHS, and the most
advanced of its type in the world. David Meaden of Northgate
Public Services describes the crucial role of the information system
that underpins the Programme. read more
... Designing a digital home for older people
Technology can have a big impact on the health and well-being of
older people. Very few
electronic products for use in the home, however, are designed for
ease of use by older people eg TVs, phones, mobile phones, radios. With the rapidly
aging population in
all developed countries it even makes economic sense for companies
to design specifically for this market. Chris Millington
of Doro UK, outlines the key factors that product designers should consider.
read more ...
Enabling self-directed adult care
The Putting People First framework for adult care announced in
December 2007 will lead to large changes in the provision of care in
England. Denise Harrison, Director at Liquidlogic outlines
the challenges facing all parties involved in the care process and
the role of technology as an enabler for delivering care.
read more ...
The dangers of privileged password management — who’s the next
Société Générale?
Calum Macleod, European Director of Cyber-Ark explains how
weaknesses in password security can lead to huge financial losses
and the downfall of a large organisation. A warning that could be
applied to any public or private sector organisation.
read more ...
Design of a fully client-based electronic attendance
registration system in a UK district hospital
Dr Michael Ogundele, Dr Baljinder Singh and Dr Stella Imong of Torbay Hospital have developed an
easy-to-use and effective web-based system which allows doctors in
training and other healthcare professionals to record their
attendance at various academic sessions organised by their hospital.
read more ...
January 2008
Nottingham University Hospitals can the spam
Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust upgraded its email
security solution and managed to block over 95% of spam, remove
malicious content and reduce the IT staff workload by up to 50 hours
a week. read more ...
Opinion: Ban USB memory sticks in
the NHS
Phil Colledge of 123 Consultants says the security risks of
memory sticks are too great to allow their use.
read more ...
Opinion: Public data loss
Dr Barry Barber, one of the world's leading patient
confidentiality experts (now retired) comments on the recent series
of disclosures by government organisations of losses of data.
read more ...
The Doctor's viewpoint: PACS vobiscum
Dr Sebastian Zeki gives a personal insight into life on the front line
for a user of hospital IT systems. This month he looks at the
revolution caused by the introduction of digital radiology systems.
read more ...
ID cards and access control: addressing the problem of digital
identities in the NHS
A typical hospital will have many measures for controlling
security, from physical access to car parks, buildings or rooms, to
login to numerous IT systems and applications. Paul Edmondson
of Enline plc explains how an integrated system can improve
security, reduce the management overhead and simplify the practical
aspects of security for staff.
  The
EPR Arms: Targets, targets, targets
Do targets really help provide a better service, or do they just
direct resources into making sure certain numbers stay within
limits? Join Sean Brennan and the regulars at the EPR Arms
for a discussion of the meaning of life under targets.
enter the pub ....
Making Choose and Book work for secondary care
Professor Angus Wallace, chair of the National Specialty
Reference Group (NSRG), outlines the work he and his team in NSRG
have conducted to improve a crucial element of Choose and Book and
what it holds in store for consultants.
read more ...
Making healthcare organisations
secure from hack attacks
Graham Cluley of Sophos outlines the numerous current security risks
threatening networks and the safety measures to employ to keep them
safe. read more ...
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