British Telecommunications plc (BT) is partnering with NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT), to provide a technology and communications solution for England’s NHS blood donor network.
NHSBT looks after blood donation in England and transplant services across the UK, with 50 mobile teams that collect blood donations in local communities and 23 fixed donation centres.
Over the coming months, BT will connect NHSBT’s fixed and mobile sites using BT’s EE 4G network. It will also provide devices that can be managed remotely, including rugged handheld scanners to identify and capture data on donors and blood donations, welcome device tablets to log information about donor bookings and laptops for data management.
They will also provide bespoke cabinets designed to aid and improve accessibility while on location.
WHY IT MATTERS
BT’s network will allow teams NHSBT to digitally manage blood donor and blood collection information when the mobile teams travel to different locations across the country, as well as in the fixed blood donation sites.
NHSBT staff will be able to use BT devices to record and update patient details, as well as track information on blood donation bookings and blood donor records. All data will be stored on a BT platform in the cloud which will be updated in real time and used by the blood donation processing team when the donation is collected.
THE LARGER CONTEXT
NHSBT recently announced that it had appointed former NHS digital executive director of product development, Wendy Clark, as its chief digital and information officer. She will be responsible for the development and implementation of NHSBT’s digital, data and technology strategy, starting in January.
ON THE RECORD
Danny Longbottom, director of local government and health at BT, said: “The work of NHSBT is integral to the NHS. We’re delighted to be able to further the work we do with the NHS and help transform the blood donation service by providing faster connectivity and support.”
David Suttie, accountable executive at NHSBT, said: “There will be many benefits to the new technology solution. It will allow us to collect IT data more effectively, help donors move through the process quicker and reduce paperwork. This will be a positive outcome for our blood donation sessions.”
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