Mid and South Essex NHS FT signs innovation agreement with Diligram

Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust has signed an agreement with Diligram for its MyStaff app Document Management System (DMS), which will help the trust’s staff to access and govern policies and procedures, leading to improved clinical government and outcomes.

The MyStaff app has been developed and tested by the two organisations over the last two years. It uses AI to redefine how documents are managed and distributed within the NHS, providing instant access to key clinical documents.

As well as providing access for staff to ensure they are aware of new documents or changes to procedures that are relevant to their job role, it also confirms if the documents have been accessed. For the first time, management is able to identify and pull up logs of how and when staff have accessed policies, a function that is critical for defending the NHS against litigation claims of medical negligence.

MyStaff app UK CEO, Leslie Golding, said: “We have analysed what factors are involved in the end-to-end process from creation of a document through to delivery to users and the importance of compliance to help to ensure best practice and ultimately ensure that the NHS and its patients have the best possible experience.

“The NHS is understandably stretched, and its staff are under great pressure and we are convinced that MyStaff app will help reduce human error which results in significant litigation pay-outs across the country.”

The closed loop solution is now being rolled out to every department within the trust, after initially being used in the maternity units at Mid and South Essex. This allows it to manage a document lifecycle from creation, local approval and ratification through to distribution.

This is all underpinned by artificial intelligence which means the trust can save resources and time as well as minimise the risk of human error. The analytics include full governance reporting to ensure staff compliance and best practice which can help predict and prevent critical incidents and analyse where staff may require additional support.

Mid and South Essex chief strategy and improvement officer, Charlotte Williams, said: “The app has been overwhelmingly embraced from the day it was launched, with tremendously positive feedback.

“It is proving to be invaluable for existing as well as new, temporary, agency, locum and bank staff and students as it gives them the opportunity to access procedures and policies in advance to understand the latest guidance to practice safely within the trust.”

In February this year Mid and South Essex expanded its Bridging Service in collaboration with CareLineLive to help free up as many as 60 beds per day of patients who would otherwise remain in hospital awaiting discharge.