Future HealthSpaces Webinar 12 – Audience Q&A on the NRC.
- Future HealthSpaces
- Oct 30
- 5 min read
As a follow-up to our recent Future HealthSpaces Webinar 12, we have compiled a record of the audience Q&A. The session covered a range of practical questions on Ascom's partnership with the National Rehabilitation Centre (NRC).
This publication preserves the original questions and responses for reference.
1. Do we have patient commentary yet? Do they feel isolated? Have the digital processed been reviewed with that in mind?
We have worked closely with clinical teams and also patient representative groups to ensure that their voices are heard.
2. There are few moving parts here, did/do you manage the supplier ecosystem? Was it challenging? Did you have a partner that managed these or did you work each one individually?
Also, how did you ensure they all worked together?
In short, yes. Some suppliers were already in contract with the main construction partner which meant we had to engage with them as well as any suppliers we wanted to bring in. Thankfully, we were able to work with partners like Cisco and Block to arrange introductions with suppliers. In terms of how we worked with suppliers we began with individual engagements before bringing a working group together, we were always sure to make technology partners came into it knowing we wanted a collaborative approach. Thankfully everyone we brought on board understood the need to collaborate to give the best solution for the clinical teams.
Prior to procurement, we trialled a number of the technologies to work through integration and interoperability challenges before deployment which really helped us be specific with our requirements.
3. The idea a nurse or doctor can walk by a room at the NRC and see from the corridor (through glass, blinds and reflections) what is going on in a patient room is a stretch. Could the clinicians comment on this and I'd like to hear if they think the NHP standard single room layout with outboard toilets is the right way to go.
The NRC has glass-walled 4-bedded bay areas across from a staff base for patients who require enhanced supervision. Regular interval checks of single rooms patients will be built into the SOP’s as per the current single occupancy guidelines, however we will be exploring other supplementary monitoring systems to mitigate some of the risks. The toilets at the NRC are inboard so we’re unable to comment on the NHP design as the NRC pre-dates this requirement.
4. Could the smart nurse call system be integrated with EPIC (EPR system)?
Yes, Ascom smart nurse call can be integrated with EPIC and we have several reference sites. Integration could be updating the EPR with activity and clinical parameters, but we also can complement the EPIC Rover mobile workflows with alerting directly from within the Epic application and managing role assignments for the EPR. This supports the single app concept to simplify access to critical data for the clinical teams.
(Tim Painter, Business Development Manager, Ascom UK&I)
5. What additional downtime procedures have you had to consider in terms of the digital interventions?
Downtime is part and parcel with digital systems on the whole so in some ways our technical teams are used to the challenge. The key consideration is planning and having business continuity plans that teams on the ground can revert to in those situations.
6. For purposes of patient visibility how have the doors/ walls that separate the bedroom from the corridor been designed? ( i.e. glass panels with internal blinds) are there curtain racks around the bed / around the door to provide privacy if the doors have needed to be left open for some reason?
Single occupancy doors have a glass privacy panel with lever operated ‘lines’ which allows for discreet and secure observation, whilst having the appearance of contemporary Venetian blinds. There are also curtains to be pulled around the bed for additional privacy.
7. It seems like a system that is more applicable to long term stays on rehab wards. I understand that this system, if it works as intended and IF patients are given an orientation on it's use, could save staff time - but not really sure about how this enables single occupancy care vs. standard ward with nurses on rounds or patients using call buttons?
I think the challenge here is in the question, single occupancy v standard ward, with such a shift to single occupancy there will be no standard ward comparison, hence the shift to technology. So yes, the technology needs to be deployed in a way to help staff keep the patient visible and save time, the perceived alternative is often “we need more staff”. There is plenty of evidence that a move to single occupancy has a direct impact with an increase in falls, so responding faster and being notified of a patient at harm will only support clinical teams in intervention. Responding faster to calls and having instant communication behind the closed door also improves the patient experience and gives reassurance their needs are being attended to in that short period when a nurse isn’t at the bedside. The smart nurse call is modular in deployment to meet the needs of specific patient cohort, IoT sensors, smart beds, and medical devices, all hold critical information to support decisions around our patients. We need the tech to deliver these patient situation insights to the nurse, at the right time, from behind the closed door.
9. How are the iPads handled from an infection prevention viewpoint?
With regards to the patient iPads, they have a bespoke case that the supplier has designed in order to meet standards of cleaning that are needed. Please reach out if you want any more specifics.
10. It would be good to understand if all of the digital tech has been used elsewhere in your organisation and if not how have you taken your clinical teams through the readiness to use aspects?
A good portion of this technology was trialled at our current rehabilitation ward on our existing campus, with a significant number of staff transferring to the NRC upon opening. This allowed for staff to become familiar with the systems in some form before moving to the new NRC site. However, there will still be staff at the NRC that have not used the systems and therefore we have gone down a superuser approach which will be useful in supporting new staff learning the system. This is on top of training provided by suppliers.
Read more about Enabling Single Occupancy Care through Digital Innovation.
