Patient hospital transfers 'improved by new tech'

A trial of new technology aimed at speeding up the transfer of patients to hospital helped improve care and enabled crews to return to service quickly, an ambulance service trust said.

Mobile signals and Wi-Fi connections can be unreliable when crews need to access patient data, according to the East of England Ambulance Service Trust (EEAST).

Four hospitals - Peterborough City, Princess Alexandra in Harlow, Colchester and Luton & Dunstable - installed boxes that allowed emergency crews to re-connect automatically.

Neil Godfrey, of EEAST, said it wanted to refine the system "to help crews make the right clinical decisions, reduce hospital handover times and allow them to get back on the road."

The trial identified that "connectivity challenges arise from hospital layouts, including metal structures, lead-lined rooms, and outdated designs that hinder signal quality" and that the issues "frustrate clinicians and impede efficient workflows".

Mr Godfrey, the service's chief digital information officer (Interim), said crews' clinical apps stopped working when they lost connection, but the new system enabled them to consistently access records, including crucial information on end of life and mental health plans.

A recent NHS England review of the trial, which began in December 2023, found it reduced clinical risks and improved outcomes by enabling real-time updates to care records.

Staff were also less likely to be frustrated about tech issues and could better focus on patients.

Its success has prompted plans for equipment at sites across the region, with other ambulance trusts also expressing an interest.

Follow East of England news on X, Instagram and Facebook: BBC Beds, Herts & Bucks, BBC Cambridgeshire, BBC Essex, BBC Norfolk, BBC Northamptonshire or BBC Suffolk.