Sheffield
Children's NHS Foundation Trust has deployed a bedside virtual
desktop system to allow staff to access patient records and other
medical data.
ANS Group and Quest Software
have partnered to provide the system to the trust. The technology
will serve up to 2,000 users, allowing medical staff to access
patient records securely and efficiently at their desktop and at
the bedside.
The trust said the system will enable efficiencies in working
practice, leading to cost savings and improved security
practices.
The SmartiD authentication solution, developed by ANS Group,
combined with Quest vWorkspace, provided by the Desktop
Virtualisation Group of Quest Software (formerly Provision
Networks), will enable NPfIT card users to seamlessly access NHS
national applications through the virtualised desktop.
Users can access their corporate desktop from any terminal in
the hospital, including bedside entertainment units, only available
when the NPflT smartcard is inserted.
The desktop can then automatically revert back to the generic
workstation or entertainment system once the card is removed. The
terminals will not hold any patient data once the smartcard is
removed, eliminating the risk of data theft.
"The scheme has been high on the trust's desirable developments
list for some time and could dramatically transform current patient
record systems if rolled out nationally," said Russell Banks, head
of IT at Sheffield Children's NHS Foundation Trust.
He said, "The solution will allow medical and nursing staff to
increase the time they spend on patient care, giving patients more
of the individual attention they require by reducing the need to
log in and out of numerous systems.
"Other benefits include the reduction of the endless
administrative paper trail, freeing up revenue which can now be
invested into other areas of improving patient care."