Industry news in brief

This month’s industry round-up features news that Plymouth Hospitals NHS Trust has joined a global health research network that could give patients easier and faster access to new therapies. Elsewhere in the UK, a GP surgery in Cambridgeshire has adopted a cloud-based telephone service which can easily cope with multiple calls.

Plymouth Hospitals NHS Trust joins TriNetX’s global health research network

Plymouth Hospitals NHS Trust has announced it has joined TriNetX’s global health research network.

The aim is that the network, which involves several organisations, will bring new therapies to patients by giving the trust access to to the earliest and most innovative clinical trials being conducted both home and abroad.

“We are delighted Plymouth Hospitals NHS Trust has chosen to partner with TriNetX,” said Steve Lethbridge, Director of EMEA for TriNetX.

“We look forward to supporting them accelerate their clinical trial study process and collaborative research capabilities regionally, nationally and globally.”

Cambridgeshire GP surgery uses cloud-based telephony to improve service

The Hicks Group GP surgery in Cambridgeshire has adopted a cloud-based telephone service after patients complained they had trouble ringing in.

Surgery Connect is cloud-based communications platforms that enables surgeries to cope with multiple calls.

On top of that, the service, which has been in use at the surgery since April 2017, claims to incorporate high levels of data security.

The Hicks Group is planning to merge with two other local practices and it is hoped the new telephone system will help ease the pressures of having an increasing demand for services.

Practice manager, Lisa Harrison, said: “Patients say they are much happier now, as they actually get a response, even if it is just to tell them they are held in a call queue.

“There is nothing more frustrating than calling a number and not being able to get through, which previously was the case. And staff find the system intuitive and easy to use.”

Royal Derby Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust goes live with new software in critical care

Royal Derby Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has gone live with a new software system which allows clinicians to book medical exams and administer medicine.

Agfa HealthCare’s ORBIS ICU-manager critical care information system has been deployed in the adult critical care units at the Royal Derby Hospital.

The web-based platform means clinicians can capture, share and access patient information from anywhere in the hospital.

They can order exams, prescribe and administer medication, view results, visualise patients’ vital signs and more, on a tablet device.

Dr Nick Reynolds, an anaesthesia and intensive care medicine consultant at the trust, claimed the new system would “reduce the risk of potential errors” and “improve efficiencies”.

Bupa Cromwell Hospital extends roll out of EPR

Bupa Cromwell Hospital has partnered up with IMS Maxims to extend the roll out of its electronic patient record (EPR).

The private hospital will be using Maxims OCS & RR to digitise the way in which clinicians manage diagnostic tests, starting with radiology and pathology services.

Staff will be able to order and view results instantly and eliminate the delays, bottlenecks and errors associated with paper-based systems.

Preparations for implementation have commenced and the go-live is expected in Spring 2018, with discussions about further deployment and additional functionality planned for later in the year.

Study claims LiverMultiScan could halve the number of liver biopsies

A study has revealed that new scanning technology could almost halve the number of liver biopsies carried out in people with fatty liver disease.

LiverMultiScan, a test that reads data from an MRI scan of the liver, can be used to help doctors accurately diagnose liver disease, even at the early stages, and can also help to predict those people whose liver disease is going to progress more quickly.

The study, published in the Journal Alimentary Pharmacology and Therapeutics, claims the technology could almost halve the number of liver biopsies carried out in people with fatty liver disease.

It also concluded that 458 out of every 1,000 liver biopsies could be avoided if people are first assessed using LiverMultiScan.

Dr Rajarshi Banerjee, CEO of Perspectum Diagnostics, the company behind LiverMultiScan, said: “LiverMultiScan can help a patient see liver disease and act on it.

“We are proud to be leading the way in providing more patient-centric solutions for people with liver disease that helps them and their doctors make informed decisions about their care.”