North London trusts link sites with fast network

Camden and Islington ICT Shared Services has deployed a new internet protocol virtual private network (IPVPN) from ntl:Telewest Business to connect 14 large sites together, enabling employees to access national and local NHS applications quickly and securely.

The shared services cover Camden Primary Care Trust (PCT), Islington PCT and Camden and Islington Mental Health and Social Care Trust, providing connectivity to over 100 sites.

The trusts realised that it was important to help staff get better and faster access to the systems they need to use on a daily basis.

Steve Guise, senior technical project manager at Camden and Islington, told EHIPC: “The trusts used to have dial up connections which really weren’t good enough for all the work staff needed to do, so we looked at priorities for all the sites and decided to put in a new ADSL IPVPN connection in the offices where we perceived that it was imperative that they get better access.”

The contract enables employees at the 14 sites to access all national and local NHS applications from both remote and home offices.

Staff will be able to benefit from flexible working capabilities and ensure seamless access to headquarters’ resources, and the applications.

Guise added: “It was essential that we replace as many of the dial-up connections as we could and help to provide employees with the ability to quickly call up data and be able to make extractions and additions as they see fit, without losing any of it once it is saved. A lot of employees need flexibility and this IPVPN was the perfect way of achieving this.”

Camden and Islington are now looking at further expanding the use of the IPVPN to more sites, so that more employees can have better access to data on the move, as well as in the practice.

They have been working with Connecting for Health to ensure it follows compliance to their Community of Interest Network (COIN) approach.

COINS are established via an intelligent network design for a community of sites with similar business needs. They can cover both local and national Programme needs, although are usually more oriented to meet defined local needs.

Guise said: “We have worked extensively with CfH to ensure that the IPVPN is considered an agreed COIN, so that users will be provided with more, if not the same, level of information as they were used to before. The main difference will be faster, more easily-accessible data, which still ensures the highest level of security.

“Adding the IPVPN will further aid our efforts to excel in the NHS Connecting for Health programme. It will significantly improve the speed of access and levels of connectivity for staff who would normally only have a dial-up connection to the trust’s resources.”

Christopher Small, director for public sector at ntl:Telewest Business, said: “Since launching NHS Connecting for Health in 2005, one of the government’s key aims has been to enable healthcare professionals nationwide to access patient information safely and securely.

“In our partnership with Camden and Islington ICT Shared Services, ntl:Telewest Business hopes that it will facilitate staff with the technology needed to work more efficiently and help ensure that patients are receiving a high level of healthcare, wherever they are in the area.”

The network will be used by healthcare clinicians and community hospital nurses, but will not be available to GP practices at the current time.

Links

ntl:Telewest Business www.ntltelewestbusiness.co.uk