Magentus is working with the SWASH consortium (Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust, Isle of Wight NHS Trust, Salisbury NHS Foundation Trust, Southern Health NHS Foundation Trust and University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust)
Almost two million patient exams are managed each year across those member trusts. They realised that they had a limited ability to access or share information beyond particular locations or teams, so turned to Magentus to address the growing pressures on their radiology services by creating an accessible imaging network.
CASE STUDY 1
Portsmouth Hospital University Trust (PHU) has one vision: “Working together to drive excellence in care for our patients and communities”. As part of the SWASH consortium of trusts, PHU is committed to continual improvement and collaboration to provide care centred around patients, unconstrained by hospital or service walls.
According to NHS England, a record number of patients are waiting for treatment, with millions needing scans for diagnosis, treatment and monitoring.
As of February 2021, almost 140,000 people waited more than 6 weeks for a CT, MRI or ultrasound scan – 12 times higher than the previous year. Coupled with the impact of a global pandemic, this is largely due to a radiologist workforce that is nationally shortstaffed by 33%, requiring an estimated 2,000 extra radiologists to clear reporting backlogs, meet safe staffing quotas, and keep up with demand.
Like many trusts, PHU is no exception to experiencing the pressures of this trend, not just amongst clinical teams but across administrative support too.
Shortstaffed and siloed systems
Staff shortages and legacy siloed systems can hinder efficient workflows, slowing patient care and impacting waiting times. Systems have traditionally been set up to prioritise viewing imaging and information, but with limited ability to access or share that data outside of a specific team or service.
Where information is available it is not always accessible or organised to reflect patient journeys or clinical workflows, therefore not easily available to radiologists or other clinicians when they need it to facilitate the most efficient patient care.
By embracing regionally connected radiology solutions from Magentus, PHU has been exploring interoperable technologies to address pressures on radiology services, improve radiology workflows and relieve the burden on administrative and clinical teams, significantly improving patient care.
PHU has integrated Magentus’s Cris® RIS to connect and integrate radiology and multidisciplinary teams from across the consortium. When the requests are reported, the referrer receives a notification, alerting them that a radiology report is available to view.
To relieve pressure on administrative staff and to utilise capacity where it is needed most, PHU implemented interactive, digital touch screens at reception desks, allowing patients to easily check themselves in. This means desks are always ‘fully-staffed’ and are fully integrated with Cris® software.
Cris® mobile is making RIS accessible from anywhere, across any site or remote location using full paperless workflows where patients can be searched and identified, and orders attended to, without needing access to a dedicated Cris® workstation. The platform is web based and device agnostic, allowing for full identity verification, room work lists, customisable safety forms with signature and post imaging documentation.
Cris® reporting is a zero-footprint cross-site reporting solution that gives clinical teams control over the reporting workflow across locations and trusts. The team at PHU have coupled this with Augnito voice recording to further increase accuracy of reporting and throughput.
Mark Gardner, PHU Head of Radiology, IT and Digital Imaging Architect, said Cris® is one of the ways services can reduce the pressure.
“Like most trusts, we’re struggling with staff numbers, vacancies, and staff sickness. So we’ve struggled to cover some of our reception desks at the moment, which proves very difficult… And that will obviously start to take some of the pressure off our admin staff and we can utilise them elsewhere.”
Consultant Radiologist Fiona Witham said Magentus is working with PHU to respond to changing radiology needs.
“Healthcare matters to all of us. We all need to improve the work that the clinicians can do, so they’re not having to spend time going in searching for information. Everything is there at their fingertips so that they can treat the patient in the best possible way and to achieve the best patient outcomes.
“It’s not just about designing a bit of software, it’s about understanding the workflow and how the product needs to fit in with changing radiology needs.
“The Cris® reporting package itself is a lot cleaner, it’s easier to access and because it’s web based which helps to speed things up, it makes us more efficient as a department, which will then in turn hit the frontline.”
Consultant Radiologist Paula McParland said shared access to all imaging and workflow across the region is a significant improvement compared to everything being siloed.
“Traditionally, imaging taken in one trust would not be accessible in another. We are now part of an imaging network, so that is now available within our consortium – we have full access to all imaging across our trusts. And I only see the requirement for that growing and that we need full access across the country long term.
“I want to improve the work that the clinicians can do so they’re not having to spend time going and searching for information. We’re enabling better healthcare, I feel like we’re doing something that’s genuinely making a difference.
“We are ensuring that all the right patients are in the right report info lists and there is a clear mechanism to know which patients to report quickly based on the level of urgency.”
Magentus Business Development Manager Alex Ransford said the clinicians on the wards and in the clinics can have all the information they need in front of them, organised in a way that really facilitates patient care.
“Perhaps the most valuable thing is its flexibility and interoperability with other healthcare systems. It can send and receive information from pretty much any other system within the NHS that uses HL7 based messaging. We’re looking to improve workflow and enable cross trust reporting within the region. And enable full access through our PACs to all imaging using standards-based access.”
CASE STUDY 2
Built on an ethos of world-class care, delivered by world class people, University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust (UHS) is one of the largest acute teaching hospitals in the country and one of only two major trauma centres in the South of England.
Nationally, the radiologist workforce is short-staffed by 33% and the NHS needs nearly 2,000 extra radiologists to clear reporting backlogs, meet safe staffing quotas and keep up with demand.
For staff, this results in unbearably large patient lists and frustration with an inability to deliver the desired standard of care. For patients, frustrations include variation in appointment and prep times, as well as a lack of good communication about their care. Much more efficient and accurate prioritisation of studies is needed to meet appropriate patient turnaround times.
Accelerating the existing workflow – from referral, to vetting, to treatment- is key to ensuring patient pathways are shortened, enabling faster diagnosis and improving patient outcomes.
Laura Ellis, Radiology lead for transformation and pathway redesign, said Magentus (formerly Wellbeing Software) has been working with UHS staff to streamline internal referrals as well as external communication with patients, exploring opportunities for integrated networks to enhance data access from clinical services.
“It’s having that ability to communicate with patients – that they’ve got an appointment, appointment reminders, what site they’re going to, and the time and date of their appointment… From the point of receiving that referral to vetting, to booking, to reporting, we’re going to speed up the whole patient pathway and they are going to get access to treatments and diagnoses a lot quicker. We’re also going to improve access and reporting turnaround times – those slick workflows will be able to benefit everyone.”
As an ever-growing Trust, UHS required a scheduler functionality that could scale with ease.
UHS was committed to addressing these issues and wanted to increase the capacity of their radiology service – both in terms of imaging and reporting. As a major trauma centre and teaching hospital, UHS accepts referrals from numerous sites, thus effectively and efficiently closing the loop and transferring verified images and reports across sites is of the highest importance.
By introducing the communicator module, UHS staff will be able to handle their referrals and communicate with their patients with ease.
Reporting Radiographer Humphrey Hardless said Cris® helps ensure that scans aren’t repeated, and patients receive the right treatment at the right place at the right time, with no repetition.
“It’s about making sure that patients can get the best care possible. At the end of the day, we are all patients and we will all be accessing these systems.
“For me personally, I think the dashboard on the new Cris® programme allows me easy access to get straight into my list at the start of a session. Integration of programmes and the speed at which we can access information is always going to allow us to work with greater efficiency and give us more of an opportunity to offer a better service for the patients.”
Richard Lewis, Head of Radiology Digital Solutions, said knowing that he has given a full day of helping each patient that comes up on his list is something that makes him happy to come to work.
“Patients won’t have to have repeat scans as they go to a specialist service… so for me, it’s just a fantastic opportunity to deliver the best service that we can provide at this moment in time.”
Magentus is working in the UK with the SWASH consortium (Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust, Isle of Wight NHS Trust, Salisbury NHS Foundation Trust, Southern Health NHS Foundation Trust and University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust)
Almost two million patient exams are managed each year across those member trusts. They realised that they had a limited ability to access or share information beyond particular locations or teams, so turned to Magentus to address the growing pressures on their radiology services by creating an accessible imaging network.
CASE STUDY 1
Portsmouth Hospital University Trust (PHU) has one vision: “Working together to drive excellence in care for our patients and communities”. As part of the SWASH consortium of trusts, PHU is committed to continual improvement and collaboration to provide care centred around patients, unconstrained by hospital or service walls.
According to NHS England, a record number of patients are waiting for treatment, with millions needing scans for diagnosis, treatment and monitoring.
As of February 2021, almost 140,000 people waited more than 6 weeks for a CT, MRI or ultrasound scan – 12 times higher than the previous year. Coupled with the impact of a global pandemic, this is largely due to a radiologist workforce that is nationally shortstaffed by 33%, requiring an estimated 2,000 extra radiologists to clear reporting backlogs, meet safe staffing quotas, and keep up with demand.
Like many trusts, PHU is no exception to experiencing the pressures of this trend, not just amongst clinical teams but across administrative support too.
Shortstaffed and siloed systems
Staff shortages and legacy siloed systems can hinder efficient workflows, slowing patient care and impacting waiting times. Systems have traditionally been set up to prioritise viewing imaging and information, but with limited ability to access or share that data outside of a specific team or service.
Where information is available it is not always accessible or organised to reflect patient journeys or clinical workflows, therefore not easily available to radiologists or other clinicians when they need it to facilitate the most efficient patient care.
By embracing regionally connected radiology solutions from Magentus, PHU has been exploring interoperable technologies to address pressures on radiology services, improve radiology workflows and relieve the burden on administrative and clinical teams, significantly improving patient care.
PHU has integrated Magentus’s Evolution vRIS® Radiology Information System to connect and integrate radiology and multidisciplinary teams from across the consortium. When the requests are reported, the referrer receives a notification, alerting them that a radiology report is available to view.
To relieve pressure on administrative staff and to utilise capacity where it is needed most, PHU implemented interactive, digital touch screens at reception desks, allowing patients to easily check themselves in. This means desks are always ‘fully-staffed’ and are fully integrated with Evolution vRIS® software.
Evolution vRIS® mobile is making RIS accessible from anywhere, across any site or remote location using full paperless workflows where patients can be searched and identified, and orders attended to, without needing access to a dedicated Evolution vRIS® workstation. The platform is web based and device agnostic, allowing for full identity verification, room work lists, customisable safety forms with signature and post imaging documentation.
Evolution vRIS® reporting is a zero-footprint cross-site reporting solution that gives clinical teams control over the reporting workflow across locations and trusts. The team at PHU have coupled this with Augnito voice recording to further increase accuracy of reporting and throughput.
Mark Gardner, PHU Head of Radiology, IT and Digital Imaging Architect, said Evolution vRIS® is one of the ways services can reduce the pressure.
“Like most trusts, we’re struggling with staff numbers, vacancies, and staff sickness. So we’ve struggled to cover some of our reception desks at the moment, which proves very difficult… And that will obviously start to take some of the pressure off our admin staff and we can utilise them elsewhere.”
Consultant Radiologist Fiona Witham said Magentus is working with PHU to respond to changing radiology needs.
“Healthcare matters to all of us. We all need to improve the work that the clinicians can do, so they’re not having to spend time going in searching for information. Everything is there at their fingertips so that they can treat the patient in the best possible way and to achieve the best patient outcomes.
“It’s not just about designing a bit of software, it’s about understanding the workflow and how the product needs to fit in with changing radiology needs.
“The Evolution vRIS® reporting package itself is a lot cleaner, it’s easier to access and because it’s web based which helps to speed things up, it makes us more efficient as a department, which will then in turn hit the frontline.”
Consultant Radiologist Paula McParland said shared access to all imaging and workflow across the region is a significant improvement compared to everything being siloed.
“Traditionally, imaging taken in one trust would not be accessible in another. We are now part of an imaging network, so that is now available within our consortium – we have full access to all imaging across our trusts. And I only see the requirement for that growing and that we need full access across the country long term.
“I want to improve the work that the clinicians can do so they’re not having to spend time going and searching for information. We’re enabling better healthcare, I feel like we’re doing something that’s genuinely making a difference.
“We are ensuring that all the right patients are in the right report info lists and there is a clear mechanism to know which patients to report quickly based on the level of urgency.”
Magentus Business Development Manager Alex Ransford said the clinicians on the wards and in the clinics can have all the information they need in front of them, organised in a way that really facilitates patient care.
“Perhaps the most valuable thing is its flexibility and interoperability with other healthcare systems. It can send and receive information from pretty much any other system within the NHS that uses HL7 based messaging. We’re looking to improve workflow and enable cross trust reporting within the region. And enable full access through our PACs to all imaging using standards-based access.”
CASE STUDY 2
Built on an ethos of world-class care, delivered by world class people, University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust (UHS) is one of the largest acute teaching hospitals in the country and one of only two major trauma centres in the South of England.
Nationally, the radiologist workforce is short-staffed by 33% and the NHS needs nearly 2,000 extra radiologists to clear reporting backlogs, meet safe staffing quotas and keep up with demand.
For staff, this results in unbearably large patient lists and frustration with an inability to deliver the desired standard of care. For patients, frustrations include variation in appointment and prep times, as well as a lack of good communication about their care. Much more efficient and accurate prioritisation of studies is needed to meet appropriate patient turnaround times.
Accelerating the existing workflow – from referral, to vetting, to treatment- is key to ensuring patient pathways are shortened, enabling faster diagnosis and improving patient outcomes.
Laura Ellis, Radiology lead for transformation and pathway redesign, said Magentus (formerly Wellbeing Software) has been working with UHS staff to streamline internal referrals as well as external communication with patients, exploring opportunities for integrated networks to enhance data access from clinical services.
“It’s having that ability to communicate with patients – that they’ve got an appointment, appointment reminders, what site they’re going to, and the time and date of their appointment… From the point of receiving that referral to vetting, to booking, to reporting, we’re going to speed up the whole patient pathway and they are going to get access to treatments and diagnoses a lot quicker. We’re also going to improve access and reporting turnaround times – those slick workflows will be able to benefit everyone.”
As an ever-growing Trust, UHS required a scheduler functionality that could scale with ease.
UHS was committed to addressing these issues and wanted to increase the capacity of their radiology service – both in terms of imaging and reporting. As a major trauma centre and teaching hospital, UHS accepts referrals from numerous sites, thus effectively and efficiently closing the loop and transferring verified images and reports across sites is of the highest importance.
By introducing the communicator module, UHS staff will be able to handle their referrals and communicate with their patients with ease.
Reporting Radiographer Humphrey Hardless said Evolution vRIS® helps ensure that scans aren’t repeated, and patients receive the right treatment at the right place at the right time, with no repetition.
“It’s about making sure that patients can get the best care possible. At the end of the day, we are all patients and we will all be accessing these systems.
“For me personally, I think the dashboard on the new Evolution vRIS® programme allows me easy access to get straight into my list at the start of a session. Integration of programmes and the speed at which we can access information is always going to allow us to work with greater efficiency and give us more of an opportunity to offer a better service for the patients.”
Richard Lewis, Head of Radiology Digital Solutions, said knowing that he has given a full day of helping each patient that comes up on his list is something that makes him happy to come to work.
“Patients won’t have to have repeat scans as they go to a specialist service… so for me, it’s just a fantastic opportunity to deliver the best service that we can provide at this moment in time.”
