3 minute read
Digital Health and Care Wales: Technology at the heart of NHS Wales’ response to the pandemic
Iechydd a Gofal Digidol Cymru Digital Health and Care Wales
As the COVID-19 pandemic hit, health and care in Wales was placed under tremendous pressure. The adoption of digital services accelerated overnight, and Digital Health and Care Wales (DHCW) worked with health staff to deliver the technology needed.
Before the pandemic, Wales had already taken big steps to transform patient care using technology and data, making it easier to introduce new capabilities and data flows.
There is a digital health record for each of the 3.1 million people in Wales, and a digital service supporting every step of the patient’s journey. Yet as we have all seen, the COVID-19 pandemic put digital health and care in the spotlight like never before.
This digital innovation and adoption of new ways of working made a significant difference to the NHS Wales response to COVID, making it possible to restrict virus spread. Take the benefits delivered by contact tracing, video conferencing, online health records, and access to real-time data to monitor demand. All services delivered by DHCW. At the outset, GPs were given remote access to the clinical desktop so they could work anywhere, from home or the surgery, and this enabled an email at home service – allowing practice staff access to their NHS email from any location. DHCW also put the Welsh Clinical Portal (WCP) on the desktop, so family doctors can view patients’ hospital information such as discharge summaries and clinical letters. This is aiding diagnosis and dramatically reducing the time spent chasing patient information.
Patients are now able to use video and phone for remote non-contact consultations with their GP, community nurses and mental health teams. Support, implementation and training to accelerate uptake is provided by the DHCW Primary Care Services Team. New systems that not only provided social distancing benefits but also contributed to the longer-term transformation of care.
Video conferencing for outpatient clinics was also adopted alongside accelerated implementation of the Fuji Mobility image viewing software, which allows secondary care clinicians to view images across health board boundaries. DHCW also launched the Welsh Clinical Portal mobile app to use on iOS and Android devices. It offers patient information on the go and at the bedside, including notifications, the ability to view/ sign off test results and add/edit notes and tasks for patients, and removing the need for paper-based handovers.
As an early priority, the COVID-19 testing process was digitised so test results were streamlined and results recorded in the patient’s medical record, regardless of where the test was taken.
As part of Wales’ Test, Trace and Protect service, DHCW worked with industry partners to develop the all-Wales digital contact tracing system within six weeks.
Then with the arrival of COVID-19 vaccines, their technical solutions were needed to manage vaccination of the Welsh population. The in-house developed Welsh Immunisation System has made a major contribution to the success of the vaccine programme in Wales. It is used to identify people eligible for vaccination, schedule and send out appointment letters, and record details about each vaccination.
DHCW also collaborated with NHS England to deliver the COVID-19 digital passport for Welsh people travelling outside the UK.
Information is a key weapon, so working collaboratively with health boards, DHCW fast-tracked development of a new Data Hub, giving decision makers a real-time view of the NHS Wales response to the pandemic. It can be used to identify hotspots and trends in access to healthcare, and to manage capacity based on demand and availability.
Technology doesn’t stand still and neither does DHCW. Their products and services are constantly evolving to meet user needs as health and care in Wales resets and recovers.
