Innovation event at Southend Hospital shows off latest tech and initiatives
Southend Hospital hosted an innovation event
Innovation and new technology were on show at Southend Hospital. Stalls were set up, showing off gadgets like VR headsets, and discussing innovative methods to reduce hospital costs.
Outside the venue, the "Burns Bus" was parked.
The bus travels to various locations in the East of England to treat patients with small burns.
Sue Boseman, Burns advance nurse practitioner, says they try to reduce people's travel time to the hospital.
"We go for patients a little further afield, to reduce their travel time.
"It means that people can have their burn wound care as a part of their day, they don't have to spend all that time coming to the hospital."
Inside the venue was a showcase of new Community Diagnostic Centres. Thurrock's CDC served 400 patients in it's first week.
James Currell, Division Director for Clinical and Support Services, said:
"It is important for our patients, to ensure we can deliver diagnostic services, largely radiology, cardiology, blood tests and respiratory scans closer to home.
"We are opening four CDCs across Mid and South Essex. Our first centre opened in Thurrock, it is a fully operational unit and we will see around 75,000 extra appointments in a year.
"One of the biggest benefits is taking some of those more straightforward scans and blood tests away from hospital sites. That means we can prioritise hospital space for those with the most complex care needs, but also without causing patients undue stress about travel and parking."
A new innovation coming to hospitals in Mid and South Essex is shared electronic patient records.
Nova is a new system that aims to increase efficiency and reduce repeat tests.
Currently, Southend, Broomfield, and Basildon hospitals all use different records systems.
Shola, Business Analyst for Digital Services, said:
"What we have at the moment are fragmented systems. With one system, any clinician logging into the system can see what a patient has had done at any of the other sites.
"It will cut down on repeat testing of a patient, and it will certainly speed up the care for our patients.
"Under this new system we will pay a single charge, straight away we are making a saving."
Quality Improvement also had a stall, and were showcasing their efforts to influence change and fixes within hospitals.
Staff can suggest improvements to them, and a plan is created to see what is an immediate fix, or a long-term change.
Shevaun Mullender, Head of Clinical Quality Improvement Capability, said the system is "vital."
"The people on the front-line doing the work know what is not working.
"Our role is very empowering to try and get staff to do their own work, and to look at things with a questioning eye.
"We are in a very privileged position to do what we do, we get to sprinkle fairy dust in an organisation that is very difficult to work in at the moment."
A Healthcare Assistant app was also being shown. It provides users with information and education that can help them when providing care and assistance.
Innovation Fellow, Gemma Read, said:
"It's really vast information, but also really specific.
"One of the recent things on the app is a video on basic sign language, so assistants can learn how to speak to someone who has difficulty hearing, and can understand that they might want a drink or something to eat.
"There is loads of stuff on there, and wellbeing resources to look after themselves.
She said that the resources being easily available will make assistants "more confident to give good care."
MSE Innovation was showcasing new technology at the event, including new virtual reality headsets to support children who have anxiety over hospital environments and tests.
Preeti Sud, Director of Strategy and Innovation, said:
"The VR headset shows a pre-recorded video, for example walking into a real hospital, with a voice over from a nurse.
"It walks the patient through, so they can see what the environment is.
"This helps acclimatise the patient to the environment.
"We have also tested it with settings where people have needle-phobia, letting patients know what a needle looks and feels like.
"We are trying to identify the best way to scale it up."
There was also a stall about genomics, which showed information about tests to identify hereditary cancer risks.
Liz Lawrence, Lead Regional Genomic Practitioner, said:#
"We have had huge developments in the world of genetic testing, which means that our patients have access to many more treatments.
"The idea is that you are looking at the whole patient, and asking is there a reason this patient has developed cancer? And is that reason a genetic cause?
"If we can detect a cause for that patient then we can test that patient's family to potentially pick up these conditions sooner."