Actu
Ashford and St. Peter’s Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust Select Xirrus for High Performance Wireless Connectivity
November 2012 by Marc Jacob
Xirrus announced that Ashford and St. Peter’s Hospitals have deployed Xirrus Wireless Arrays throughout the two main sites in Surrey to support a new cutting-edge informatics strategy. The deployment enables clinicians and staff to deliver a better experience to patients through the use of faster and always-on devices.
Together, Ashford and St. Peter’s Hospitals make up the largest acute care hospital provider in Surrey with an award-winning maternity unit. Head of Informatics Programme, Laura Ellis-Philip, said: "We want to stay ahead of the game in terms of technology, so having high performance wireless connectivity is a no-brainer — there is so much you can do with it. Improving patient experience is one of the Trust’s key objectives and enabling staff to use mobile technology at the bedside is essential. During the morning rounds, our doctors have workstations on wheels with connected laptops and the option to show patients X-rays, or order tests on the spot instead of waiting till the end of the ward round. Our patients get the tests quicker, get the results quicker, and can see the results on the screen, so that’s been a real step forward for us."
Ashford and St. Peter’s Hospitals have further plans to exploit the recently added wireless network. According to Ellis-Philip, the workstations on wheels was just a starting point; the Trust’s entire executive team is now equipped with tablets, with electronic access to all their board papers. This means the executive team can confer in any meeting room on the premises and all their documents are available to them, securely, at the swipe of a finger. This solution will be rolled out to more of the Trust’s committee members throughout the year.
In addition to the above, Ashford and St. Peter’s Hospitals are reviewing other ways in which to employ the technology to enhance working practices. Ellis-Philip explains: "We are looking at creating mobile versions of some existing applications in order to better embrace the BYOD opportunity. We know our staff have their own smartphones and tablets, so we want to find a way for them to use wireless technology to securely log on to these applications using their own devices."
Describing the selection process for their wireless networking provider, Ellis-Philip said: "We went out to tender to ensure a fair process for everyone involved. But it was an easy decision for us because Xirrus was able to deliver high performance with far fewer devices than its competitors. The Xirrus offering was also compelling because it enabled comprehensive management and monitoring of the network, and is so easy to expand or upgrade. An added plus is that we have a great rapport with the company."
