NHS Royal Devon & Exeter Foundation Trust

MY CARE Displays​​​​

AV INSTALLED

Philips Displays

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The Royal Devon & Exeter Foundation Trust (RDE) opted to become involved with the rollout of one of the biggest programmes of changes in the history of the hospital - MY CARE. Developed in the US by Epic, MY CARE is a software system implemented across the NHS that would enable more efficient handling of patient data by utilising an electronic patient record system (EPR). The purpose of the system is to provide patients, staff, and visitors with a better connection between the care they receive at RDE, in community clinics, and at home.

60 screens and a tight deadline.

MY CARE was developed to provide patients with information about their visits, hospital-prescribed medication, and upcoming appointments. The system consolidates all patient information to one user-friendly EPR, enabling them to move away from paper-based systems and separate computers, working from one central database instead.

While the system affords patients a variety of benefits that facilitate more concise, effective healthcare, MY CARE allows NHS staff to move away from tired, traditional whiteboard and pen-based patient management in favour of a complete digital overhaul that would see bed information applied to 60 high-definition signage screens throughout the main building and in remote sites in nearby Tiverton. Having worked together on a number of smaller projects, Royal Devon and Exeter commissioned their local Exeter branch of GVAV to carry out their largest installation at the hospital to date.

The Exeter team carried out the project in two stages. GVAV won the supply-only contract for the screens as installation was initially taken on by the Trust’s estates team. However, towards the end of the project with the deadline looming, they ran out of time and resource  and so contacted GVAV to assist with the installation which involved the installation of the 60 screens in around three weeks as the deadline had to coincide with MY CARE going live on the 10th October. Philips 55” dedicated signage displays were as selected for the project as they were robust professional grade 24/7 units designed for constant content display.

Helping our NHS during the hardest of times.

The primary challenge for this project was the deadline. The rollout involved the installation of one or two screens on every ward/nurses station across the hospital, with a small formfactor PC connected to each unit. While the installations of each panel are straightforward, the logistics proved the more challenging element - primarily from ensuring power and data were provided for each unit. While such a standard consideration wouldn’t usually pose an issue, its application to 60 screens put pressure on the already tight deadline. This was in addition to the standard challenges of working within a busy hospital during a pandemic. The team worked out of hours and adhered to strict guidelines to get the project completed on time and in as safe a manner as possible.

As an experienced and professional AV installer, GVAV’s efficiency and organised on site working made a real difference in getting the screens installed quickly, safely and to the highest standards. Engineers were able to effectively apply cable management and cosmetic finishes that an estates team would not have the experience to take on board in such a short space of time. The team also assisted the project manager from the hospital to ensure that all locations were managed and installed in a controlled and timely way.

MY CARE marked a critical high-profile project for the hospital. GVAV took pride in both working with a local hospital and in supporting the NHS at this difficult time. The deadline was hit despite the addition of six extra screens that were included in the middle of the project. It is a delight to support the NHS at the best of times and the team is very happy to be a part of this important upgrade to their local facilities.

This project, and others on the site, were run during the Pandemic, meaning COVID secure working practices and planning were of course critical to a successful outcome.