Tech trial to speed up patient handovers at Luton A&E hailed as a success

The trial was part of a £1 million NHS England scheme to identify ways to improve data transfer between ambulances and hospitals.

It involved EEAST installing new equipment at four hospitals in the region to help boost connectivity – including at the L&D.

Poor mobile signal and unreliable Wi-Fi connections can cause delays in transferring patient data and loss of access to key patient information when crews are waiting to hand over patients.

The trial provided £50,000 for EEAST to install four boxes from Excelerate Technology outside A&E departments – meaning ambulance crews could connect to the boxes via their iPads and reconnect automatically each time they were nearby.

A review of the trial, which began in December 2023, found benefits included improved patient care with accurate real-time updates to care records and faster patient handovers.

It also said it reduced staff frustration and helped alleviate pressure on hospitals, reducing NHS costs.

But NHS England figures show that in March 72% of arrivals at Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, which also includes Bedford Hospital, were seen within four hours – below the national target.

The NHS standard is for 95% of patients to be seen within four hours. However, as part of a recovery plan, the health service was aiming for 78% of patients to be seen within this time frame by March.

This was not met, with 75% of patients in England seen within four hours in A&Es last month.

The NHS England figures show there were 26,625 visits to A&E at Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust in March. Of them, 19,152 were seen within four hours – accounting for 72% of arrivals.

At Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, nine patients waited longer than 12 hours.

The overall number of attendances at A&E at Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust in March was a rise of 12% on the 23,687 visits recorded during February, and 5% more than the 25,443 patients seen in March 2023.

Chief Digital Information Officer (Interim) for EEAST, Neil Godfrey said: “When our crews lose their connection outside hospitals, their clinical apps stop being able to pull information from our Computer Aided Dispatch system which prevents them uploading information to our key partners.

“Thanks to the new trial at these four hospitals, we have been able to consistently access the Summary Care Records and National Record Locator.

"This means our crews can view patients’ end-of-life and mental health plans, giving them access to crucial information.

“We remain committed to refining and developing the system to deliver robust connectivity to help crews make the right clinical decisions for our patients, reduce hospital handover times and allow them to get back on the road to tend to other patients.”