Luton & Dunstable University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust integrates communications

Luton & Dunstable University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, based in Luton, has joined a growing base of healthcare institutions investing in unified communications technology in order to improve patient care, lower telephony costs and increase operational efficiency. The five year agreement with Unify, formerly Siemens Enterprise Communications is set to provide a full unified communications (UC) suite including web collaboration, mobile conferencing and presence technology, rapid-response alarm capabilities and a host of other productivity tools to all 2,000 staff.

The agreement is set to revolutionise how Luton & Dunstable operates. Currently, administrative staff are required to work from a permanent desk. In contrast, clinical staff are more mobile, some with a mobile phone and a desk phone, as well as short and long range pagers, meaning they have different levels of accessibility and coverage dependent on location. This inconsistency across multiple devices on occasion affected operations and meant communications could be difficult to co-ordinate.

Following implementation, staff at Luton & Dunstable will be contactable at any location through a single number, greatly increasing efficiency by removing barriers to connectivity that was previously in place from the multiple devices used. This benefit extends to patients and other callers who may wish to speak with a specific clinician – these calls and queries can now be quickly forwarded to the correct person or message box.
Alongside the One Number Service, Luton & Dunstable will also benefit from Unify’s OpenScape UC presence technology. This will allow staff to identify which members of a department are available to handle an incoming request, and intelligently route calls to these members of staff, without troubling other workers who are otherwise engaged.

In addition, mobile collaboration and response is achieved seamlessly and securely via the OpenScape Office Mobility suite, which enables employees to stay connected and update their presence regardless of device. OpenScape Alarm Response software will compliment this system, and be used to bring critical information to the right people, instantaneously via multiple devices to help them handle any emergency situation.
The agreement marks a revolution in how the Foundation Trust will operate – to help smooth the transition, Unify will manage a UC ambassador programme. The programme looks to train power-users within the workforce, who can then spread this knowledge organically throughout the organisation – an efficient and proven solution to an otherwise time-consuming user training process.

The selection of Unify is the result of a competitive tender process. Procured under PSN framework lot one with no previous commercial relationship with Unify in the past, the agreement includes a compelling Enterprise Licensing Agreement that enables the Foundation Trust to stay on top of software versions and improvements.

Mark England, Director of IM&T at the Luton & Dunstable Hospital NHS Foundation Trust says: “The way in which we want and expect communications to work has moved on a long way since our current TDM system was installed. Using unified communications and IP telephony technologies, we expect to lower our operating costs and increase the overall efficiency of the Trust. Ultimately, this means we can deliver a superior service to our patients, which remains our overriding objective for all the Trust’s investments.”

George Aristidou, Sales Director, Public Sector, Unify, comments: “Working with healthcare trusts to help save costs and increase efficiency is a greatly rewarding experience and one we very much enjoy. The Luton & Dunstable team recognises the benefits of modern communications along with the challenges that they will face with device proliferation and the rise of BYOD. With the OpenScape portfolio, the Trust will be well prepared to handle these challenges and remain efficient for years to come.”