In-house hospital IT project goes national

Sixteen health trusts across the UK are now using patient self-service software designed by University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust (UHB).

The interactive technology has been embraced by NHS healthcare providers as a means of improving patient experience, streamlining clinics and reducing costs.

Check-in via self service kiosks takes as little as six seconds using a combination of barcode scanners and appointment letters, and a maximum of 30 seconds when patients register their arrival using personal information, such as address details or a date-of-birth. 

This is the first time barcodes, similar to those used by airlines on boarding passes, have been used in this way in the NHS.

"We are delighted that what started out as an in-house project aimed at improving our patient and staff experience is now bringing benefits to hospitals across the country," said Steve Chilton, Director of IT Services at UHB.

"We acknowledged some years ago that we would need to develop a system that would support centralised functions and handle large volumes of patient flows.  The system is a reflection of the innovative nature of IT Services within the Trust.

"It effectively and efficiently manages patient registration whilst ensuring the quality of patient interaction."

UHB's project team developed the kiosks with strategic partners Blue Prism and Intouch with Health, the UK's market leader in patient self-service. 

Those UK hospitals already using the system have recorded a 95 per cent patient uptake rate – reducing the administration burden and associated cost of the traditional hospital check-in. 

At UHB, 18 kiosks are in use in the new £545 million Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham where the Outpatients department opened in July.

The department handles:

• 40,000 outpatient appointments a month 

• 10,000 outpatient appointments per week 

• 225 patients an hour during clinics

Dean Grinham, UHB's IT Programme Delivery Manager, said: "We have built our outpatient experience and patient flow around the self check-in system, believing that it will help to manage the smooth flow of the 40,000 outpatient visits we handle each month.

"Because the kiosks prompt patients to check their contact details, we also expect them to play a major contribution in further reducing the number of 'Did Not Attends' (DNAs) at the hospital. 

"Patients may have had their initial appointment arranged by their GP but the difficulty of sharing this data within the NHS means out-of-date details are sometimes used when follow-up consultations are scheduled directly by the hospital."