The implementation of a new app which has transformed out-of-hours care at Russells Hall Hospital and freed up more than 100 hours of nursing and doctor time every week has been shortlisted for a national award.
Dudley’s work to introduce the new task management system, Nervecentre, was named as a finalist in the prestigious Health Service Journal Awards 2017 in the Patient Safety category.
The smart app allows clinical requests to be managed centrally by a team of senior nurses to ensure the right doctors are with the right patients at the right time. A staggering 5000 clinical tasks, ranging from prescribing medication to interpreting blood results and x-rays, are logged and allocated each month using the app on handheld iPods.
Before the new system was introduced in September last year, all requests were logged with individual doctors using a bleep system. Nursing staff would have to bleep doctors manually and then wait by the telephone for the doctor to call back, meaning time spent away from patients.
The electronic system, adapted for Dudley by a team of consultants, junior doctors, nurses and site coordinators, also keeps a record of every task requested, allowing staff to make changes to improve patient care and response times.
“I’m really thrilled to hear that our Nervecentre project has made the shortlist in these prestigious awards. This recognition is testament to the excellent work of our project team who should be incredibly proud of the impact their work has had on improving patient safety,” said Dr Jane Dale, Chief Clinical Information Officer, who led the Nervecentre project.
Winners will be announced at the awards ceremony on 22nd November 2017 at the InterContinental O2 in London.
