Milton Keynes University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust (MKUH) has been recognised as one of the leading NHS organisations for digital innovation after receiving accreditation from NHS England and NHS Improvement (NHSEI) as part of its Global Digital Exemplar (GDE) programme.
The accreditation, which was presented at a ceremony at the hospital on 20 April 2022, recognises MKUH as an organisation that is internationally renowned as using digital innovations to; improve patient care and experience; enhance and assist staff to do their jobs; and harness the power of data to improve healthcare services in the future.
The Trust joined the GDE programme in 2017 and has since introduced a large number of sector-leading digital improvements at the hospital. These include:
eCARE, the hospital’s new electronic patient record, which aides clinical decision making through improved access to medical information;
the rollout of Office 365 in 2019, putting the Trust in the best possible position to deal with challenges of COVID-19 by enabling staff to work flexibly and, where required, remotely;
MyCARE, the Trust’s portal that allows patients to manage appointments and hospital correspondence via their smartphone;
A partnership with Apple to enable patients to easily and securely access their medical records via their iPhone.
Craig York, Chief Information Officer for MKUH, explains why being recognised by the GDE programme is so important: “As a Trust, we have an appetite and willingness to embrace digital innovation and this has often seen us lead the way, both in terms of the NHS and also the global healthcare landscape, on some important work that has helped to improve the health and the experience of both our patients and staff in Milton Keynes.
“Being part of the GDE programme has meant we can share ideas and feedback with like-minded trusts and utilise the expertise of the national team to help us harness the power of digital technology to improve the care we offer patients.
“We are delighted the accreditation recognises all of the work we have undertaken and we hope it signals our intent to keep improving and innovating for the benefit of local people.”
Dermot Ryan, director of frontline digitisation at NHSEI, said: “The team at Milton Keynes are demonstrating how digitally enabled care can empower staff and the citizens they serve. Enabled by the trust’s EPR and tech to support flexible and remote working, staff are able to access the information they need when and where they need it. Through the patient portal and innovative smartphone tech, patients are able to use digital technology to manage their own care safely and conveniently.”
At the presentation ceremony held at the hospital, teams from MKUH and NHSEI met to discuss the journey the Trust has been on and to hear more about its exciting plans for the future which include robots assisting staff in delivery of medications and the use of smart devices for health monitoring purposes.
To read more about the Trust’s digital strategy, click here.
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