July 2008
TLC wins contract at Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust for hospital-wide roll out of VitalPAC®
Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust have signed a contract for rollout of VitalPAC across their two hospitals, Royal Shrewsbury and the Princess Royal in Telford.
Peter Greengross joins TLC as Medical Director
Peter joins TLC with over 15 years clinical and management experience in the NHS. Peter is a medical doctor with broad clinical and management experience in all healthcare sectors, particularly in secondary and emergency care as well as international settings.
May 2008
New pilot contract signed with St Mary's Paddington, Royal Berks, South Devon, Kings College
2008 has seen many new hospital sites are introducing VitalPAC pilots as the success of the approach to improved patient monitoring and support for appropriate clinical escalation is spreading.
TLC attend Patient Safety Congress
We launched our patient safety package to support MRSA and chlostridium difficile screening and point-of-care results reporting. The infection control package also includes a solution for tracking the insertion and condition of cannulae, and documenting these actions.
We also introduced our package for ensuring the appropriate management of patients at risk of DVT.
VitalPAC INFECTION CONTROL is included on CfH ASCC listing
TLC win the Connecting for Health tender for inclusion on their new catalogue of suppliers (Additional Supply and Capability Capacity, ASCC) list for "infection control" solutions with our deployment partner, SCC Group.
November 2007
Royal West Sussex NHS Trust award contract for the Clinician Resource Management System
TLC's Clinician Resource Management System has been selected by Royal West Sussex NHS Trust to help improve the administration and management of the consultant contract, job planning and annual leave processes for its 100 consultants.
VitalPAC reaches final of Microsoft's Ingenuity Point competition VitalPAC has been selected for the final of Microsoft's Ingenuity Point competition in the Healthcare category in recognition of The Learning Clinic's innovative use of Microsoft technology to quickly identify the deteriorating patient.
Click here for more information on Ingenuity Point.
Portsmouth's implementation of VitalPAC recognised as a "good practice" example by the NPSA
The topic of patient deterioration has been tackled again by the NPSA in its most recent report "Recognising and responding appropriately to early signs of deterioration in hospitalised patients" that was published on 16th November. Portsmouth's implementation of VitalPAC is identified within "Appendix 2 - Resources and Good Practice Examples for Other initiatives, tools, and good practice examples".
Click here to view the NPSA documentation on Deterioration in hospitalised patients.
September 2007
TLC attend The Deteriorating Patient conference
The Learning Clinic attended The Deteriorating Patient conference at Portsmouth. The conference focused on the care of acutely ill patients in the non-critical and non-HDU areas of hospitals. Topics covered included Critical Care Outreach, Rapid Response Systems and Improving the Detection of Patient Deterioration with Monitoring and Early Warning Scores.
Click here to view the conference web site.
July 2007
The NPSA cites Portsmouth's implementation of VitalPAC as a "safer practice" example
The importance of identifying and treating the deteriorating patient early was reinforced again in July 2007 by the NPSA and the accompanying NICE guidance.
An implementation of VitalPAC (at Portsmouth) is highlighted as a safer practice example for “key theme 1: clinical or physiological deterioration not recognised or not acted upon” by the NPSA.
Click here for more information.
Click here to view the NPSA documentation on acutely ill patients.
Click here to view the NICE guidelines on acutely ill patients.
May 2007
TLC becomes Motorola partner
The Learning Clinic has become a Motorola partner. The Learning Clinic will work with Motorola on a convergence project, bringing together WiFi enabled patient lists and clinical data with a telephone service in a single device.
Plymouth VitalPAC pilot given the go-ahead
Plymouth Hospitals NHS Trust is introducing VitalPAC into some of their surgical wards. This project plans to extend VitalPAC’s functionality to supporting surgical care. It is designed to maximise the safety and efficiency of surgery and to manage the specific needs of surgical patients.
RFID pilot – new wristband technology
Together with NXP Semiconductors, Sato (UK) and Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust we are introducing RFID wristbands to all Portsmouth emergency medical admissions. The wristbands contain a microchip which will hold the patient’s name and key codes to uniquely identify them. When patients are monitored on the ward, VitalPAC will read their wristband thereby ensuring the right clinical data is associated with the correct patient at all times.
April 2007
Coventry & Warwickshire VitalPAC project roll-out
VitalPAC, is being rolled out across up to 1200 beds at University Hospitals of Coventry & Warwickshire NHS Trust. This implementation will include real-time alert messaging of medical staff upon change or deterioration in their patients’ condition. All doctors will be able to remotely monitor their patients at any time and from anywhere within their hospitals.
March 2007
VitalPAC - software with lifesaving potential
Using VitalPAC, doctors know instantly when their patients are deteriorating. The information provided by VitalPAC gets to the right people more quickly, and is more accurate than traditional pen and paper methods. Click here to view the Guardian article.
February 2007
TLC wins contract at Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust for hospital-wide roll out of VitalPAC
The Learning Clinic have signed a contract with Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust to roll out VitalPAC across the whole of Queen Alexandra Hospital. The system has undergone extensive trials in Portsmouth Hospitals' Medical and Surgical Assessment Units.+/-
VitalPAC; is The Learning Clinic's software on a wireless, hand-held PDA that allows the accurate and efficient capture of patient vital signs data. The software automatically calculates an early warning score and immediately prompts follow up clinical actions.
Click here to view the Microsoft NHS Resource Centre article.
December 2006
Roger Killen, speaker at special interest session IHI Forum, USA
Roger Killen, Managing Director of The Learning Clinic, spoke at the 18th Annual National Forum on Quality Improvement in Healthcare.+/-
The Forum was held in Orlando, Florida between 10-13 December. Roger presented at a special interest breakfast seminar on "Hospital-wide Patient Monitoring: the Real-time Hospital".
Click here to view the IHI web site.
November 2006
TLC sign Connecting for Health's Common User Interface agreement (CUI)
The Common User Interface Programme has been developed by NHS Connecting for Health and Microsoft. The aim is to provide clinicians with a common look and feel which should increase patient safety, increase clinician effectiveness and efficiency and reduce training and support costs.
The Learning Clinic is working with Microsoft to ensure that it's software complies with CUI standards and is contributing to CUI development.
Click here to view the CUI web site.
Click here to view the Microsoft NHS Resource centre.
October 2006
"Hospital-wide physiological surveillance - A new approach to the early identification and management of the sick patient": Article published by Elsevier
G Smith, D Prytherch, P Schmidt, PI Featherstone, D Knight, G Clements, M. A Mohammed
This paper summarises the role of VitalPAC; in addressing the limitations of existing paper-based or other electronic 'track and trigger' systems.
It outlines the ease of use, accuracy and speed of using the VitalPAC; system on hand-held devices (PDAs) on a hospital-wide wireless network. This integrates all patient data and allows any member of the care team instantaneous access to a patient's early warning scores, physiological data and biochemistry and haematology results. +/-
The VitalPAC; software applies risk algorithms to identify how sick the patient is. Patient risk is linked to the hospital algorithms and communicates the patient's condition to medical teams. Data is captured in real time allowing for immediate updates and changes in a patient's condition. The early warning score result is given immediately and VitalPAC; automatically prompts the escalation of a patient's care to the appropriate clinician as and when needed.
The paper concludes that the above benefits of VitalPAC; make improved monitoring and use of vital signs and integrated data achievable now. The system will also facilitate increased frequency, completeness and accuracy of vital signs which is an essential step in early identification of patient deterioration as well as having administrative benefits.
Link to abstracts of articles here and here.
Click here to view the full article (paid for download service).
Elsevier Clinical Paper, published in Resuscitation (2006) 71, 19-28.
doi:10.1016/j.resuscitation.2006.03.008
"Using the internet to deliver education on drug safety": Article published by QSHC online
B D Franklin, K O’Grady, J Parr and I Walton
Medical Administration Errors (MAEs) occur in 3-8% of all non-intravenous drug doses given in UK hospitals. Even higher rates for intravenous drugs have been reported. In conjunction with Hammersmith Hospitals NHS Trust, The Learning Clinic has developed online learning modules on Safe Medication to help address this issue.
This article outlines the improvement in MAE for ward-based nurses who took the internet based online Safe Medication modules. The post-education study revealed the rate of serious medication errors was halved. The error rate in non-intravenous administration errors fell by 31%. This was statistically significant at 95% confidence intervals. +/-
Evaluation questionnaires from participating staff revealed high levels of satisfaction with the relevance and ease of use of the modules. The flexibility of online learning allowed staff to access modules in quiet times on the ward or at home without the difficulty of attending fixed training days. 63% completed all 11 modules and all bar one of the nurses completed 50% or more.
Given the success of these Safe Medication modules, The Learning Clinic has developed additional modules with Hammersmith NHS Trust, including modules on pain and heparin.
Click here to view an abstract of the article.
Click here to view the QSHC website (article can be downloaded from this site).
August 2006
Calculating early earning scores – A classroom comparison of pen and paper and hand-held computer methods: Article published by Elsevier
D Prytherch, G Smith, P Schmidt, P I Featherstone, K Stewart, D Knight, B Higgin
Most hospitals have introduced ‘track and trigger’ systems to identify sick and deteriorating patients on hospital wards. Charting vital signs and calculating early warning scores is 70% accurate at best. This leads to many false calls upon the time of medical staff. The article demonstrated that the use of VitalPAC; offered real advantages both in speed and accuracy in storing information on the patient’s condition. +/-
There was a 40% reduction in time taken to enter the data on VitalPAC; compared to pen and paper method. Accuracy using VitalPAC; also improved from 70% to 95%.
There was a three-fold reduction in error rates using VitalPAC; compared to error rates using traditional paper recording.
Click here to view an abstract of the article.
Click here to view the full article (paid for download service).
Elsevier Clinical Paper, published in Resuscitation (2006) 70,173-178.
doi:10.1016/j.resuscitation.2005.12.002
May 2006
Roger Killen speaks at NHS Conference
Roger Killen, Managing Director of The Learning Clinic, spoke at last year’s NHS Confederation Annual Conference about The Learning Clinic's VitalPAC;, using software to record patients' vital signs and give real time information. +/-
The conference, held on 14-16 June 2006 at the International Convention Centre in Birmingham, is widely regarded as one of the most important annual meetings of senior figures from the NHS.
VitalPAC™ Wins NHS Excellence Award
Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust has been awarded the NHS Excellence in Informatics Award.+/-
TLC's Clinician Education Wins Patient Safety Award
Professor Bryony Dean Franklin’s evaluation of The Learning Clinic’s online learning modules has won this year’s United Kingdom Clinical Pharmacy Association (UKCPA) and Guild of Healthcare Pharmacists (GHP) Pfizer Patient Safety Award.+/-
The award, which recognises innovative pharmacy practice addressing the patient safety agenda, was presented to Bryony at the joint annual conference of UKCPA and GHP, held in London (click here to view the certificate).
Professor Dean Franklin’s evaluation reported a 50% drop in clinically significant errors following the completion of The Learning Clinic’s “Safe Medication Practice” modules on a pilot ward at Charing Cross Hospital.
April 2006
Chemotherapy Staff To Complete Online Learning Course
A package of six online learning modules on chemotherapy, created by The Learning Clinic, has gone live at Hammersmith Hospitals NHS Trust.
IV Study Day Staff to Complete Online Learning Modules
All staff attending Hammersmith Hospitals NHS Trust’s IV Study Days must now complete five online learning modules from The Learning Clinic prior to attendance, the trust has announced.
March 2006
VitalPAC Ward Goes Paperless
A ward at Royal Shrewsbury Hospital has become the first site to stop manually charting patient conditions. All nursing observations are now recorded electronically on the VitalPAC mobile platform.
February 2006
TLC’s Online Modules to be Used In Primary Care Setting
The Learning Clinic’s online learning modules will now be used in primary as well as secondary care settings thanks to a recent deal with Walsall Teaching Primary Care Trust (WtPCT).+/-
TLC and WtPCT are to create a series of four modules entitled “Introduction to Public Health”. They will be taken by health visitors and school nurses in a pilot period over Summer 2006.
December 2005
CRMS Goes Live at Portsmouth
TLC's Consultant Resource Managment System has been put into operation at Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust with the entering of consultants' job plans. With the forthcoming addition of rota settings, consultant activity and whereabouts are all available to consultant colleagues and to clinical and operational managers.
September 2005
All Hammersmith Staff NursesTo Take TLC Online Learning Modules
Following a highly successful pilot earlier in the year, Hammersmith Hospitals NHS Trust (HHNT) has decided to roll out four modules in The Learning Clinic’s Safe Medication Practice to all D and E grade nurses in the trust.+/-
Staff nurses in all directorates at HHNT will take “Medication Safety – Why It Is Important”, “Drug Omissions”, “Medication and Blood Transfusion Incident Reporting” and either “Blood” or “Teamwork and Systems”. In addition, staff in Cancer Directorate will take “Drug Calculations”.
The decision follows the 50% drop in clinically significant errors reported on the ward where the online learning modules were piloted.
March 2005
VitalPAC Pilot Commences at Portsmouth
VitalPAC pilot installation has begun on a ward at Queen Alexandra Hospital, Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust. This is the first hospital to pilot the system.
January 2005
Positive Evaluation for The Learning Clinic’s Safe Medication Practice Online Learning Modules
A recently completed evaluation of The Learning Clinic’s Safe Medication Practice modules, piloted on a ward at Charing Cross Hospital, reveals extremely positive results.+/-
The clinical evaluation, completed by Professor Bryony Dean Franklin, reports a statistically significant 31% reduction in non-IV drug administration error rate on the pilot ward following completion of the modules. Errors judged to be clinically significant had halved.
An educational evaluation of the pilot, completed at the University of Plymouth, reports similarly positive results. It highlights that The Learning Clinic’s localised approach to modules is key in motivating users.
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