Sunderland Royal Hospital rolls out digital portering

Sunderland Royal Hospital has introduced MyPorter, a task management software system that supports the portering function, following a successful trial within the radiology department of the hospital.

The system was initiated by City Hospitals Independent Commercial Enterprises Limited (CHoICE) – a subsidiary of South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust.

MyPorter, from GlobalView Systems, offers a solution for monitoring the status and progression of portering tasks. It also improves communication and cooperation between the portering team and the radiology team which is helping to improve patient flow.

In addition, the system is allowing Sunderland to identify and plan for peaks in demand. This allows tasks to be managed more efficiently, the right ratio of staff to be in place and delivers insights for future demand planning.

On an average day, Sunderland Royal Hospital needs 150 portering tasks for its radiology department. Prior to the deployment of the MyPorter software these tasks were managed with hard copy printouts of tasks being displayed on a board, and porters selecting the tasks from there.

By digitising the system, tasks are automatically allocated, ensuring that task distribution is process-driven and fair.

Tasks can be tracked, which is helping to establish key performance indicators such as how long tasks take to complete. It also ensures that the portering team and the radiology team can work together more efficiently.

Sunderland had previously been relying on a WiFi system for its portering team which resulted in lots of failed tasks due to connectivity issues. The MyPorter system can be operated with smart phones or digital radios, which means trusts using the system can choose the infrastructure that works for them.

At Sunderland, the allocated tasks are sent as messages to the porters’ radios via text message, with the system allowing for real-time visibility of a job’s status. Management reports can also be configured to match the needs of each trust, which provides objective data to support service delivery and development.

The digital system has significantly improved visibility of where porters are, enhancing patient experiences and improving patient outcomes.

Back in 2021 Sunderland Royal Hospital became the first NHS organisation to achieve all requirements of the national Global Digital Exemplar (GDE) programme.