East of England Ambulance Service partners with O2 for electronic patient record system

The East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust has partnered with O2 to launch a new electronic patient record system. 4,000 frontline staff have been supplied with an iPad and an end-to-end support service to help them get connected and online as smoothly as possible. This additional technology will help staff transfer patients and switch over crews swiftly over a secure virtual interface, eliminating the need to pass over paper records and ensuring patients only have to explain their symptoms once.

The rollout provides a fully-managed device, forward and reverse logistics, and automatic enrolment, which means ambulance staff can be up and running straight away once they receive the tablet. O2 said the partnership could see efficiencies that equate to 1,700 days of ambulance crew time saved over the course of a year, in addition to the elimination of paper waste.

“We are delighted to be working with O2 on this project to embed innovation across our Trust for the benefit of the six million patients we serve,” said Stephen Bromhall, Chief Information Officer with The East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust. “This new system will provide staff with easy-to-use, secure ways to seamlessly transfer patient notes virtually, which will help our dedicated crews get back on the road faster so they can continue to focus on delivering the best possible patient care.”

The partnership is worth £5.9m over a five-year contract, with part-funding from NHSX. It builds on O2’s work to provide the 5G connectivity for ‘Smart Ambulances’, which it has developed and tested at its Millbrook Proving Ground. These state-of-the art vehicles turn ambulances into remote consultation rooms that have the potential to revolutionise patient diagnosis, transport, and treatment. The system allows paramedics to treat more people with more ailments than currently possible and eases the strain on hospital resources by reducing the number of patients taken to hospital.