LONDON — (Marketwired) — 07/24/13 — , the leader in high-performance wireless networks, today announced that has deployed its Wireless Arrays to deliver a high capacity Wi-Fi network, enabling a Bring Your Own Device strategy (BYOD) throughout its 400-bed acute district general hospital. The wireless network has been deployed to improve patient care and drive clinical excellence, in addition to helping navigate more efficient use of hospital resources.
Recognised as one of the country-s top 40 hospitals for ten successive years, Bedford Hospital has over 2,000 members of staff and provides a range of services to over 270,000 people living in north and mid Bedfordshire. The deployment enables clinicians and staff to use their own devices from anywhere within the hospital without compromising IT security, and delivers wireless access and a level of flexibility that opens up possibilities for improved patient care.
Bedford Hospital-s CIO Mark Austin explains: “We realised that wireless would make it possible for clinicians and other administrative staff to have access to the clinical data they need to be able to work more effectively. For example, doctors can now access patient pathology test results, use electronic Prescribing and Medicines Management (ePMA), or look up X-rays, while doing ward rounds to reduce delays and deliver quicker, better patient outcomes.”
Austin continues: “The trend among many organisations to allow employees to bring their own laptop, smartphone or tablet device to use at work has begun to make its presence felt in the NHS. Doctors want to use their own iPads from anywhere within the hospital to make it easier for them to access data available to them via the internet. Wireless networking makes this straightforward to accommodate, and many staff already own the devices, so costs saved here can be spent elsewhere.”
On choosing Xirrus, Austin explains: “The Bedford Hospital site itself dates back to the Victorian era and some of the wards have -listed building- status, meaning there is little that can be done to the walls, floors, ceilings, etc., to accommodate significant IT infrastructure changes. The beauty of the Xirrus wireless platform is that fewer wireless points are needed, which in turn reduces the amount of cabling and wiring required throughout the hospital, helping to maintain aesthetic integrity.”
“Another area where Xirrus stood out from the crowd was coping with potential interference from older wirelessly-connected devices within the hospital, such as patient monitoring equipment, which is critical to patient care. Because of this we needed to use the 5GHz frequency range, which is where the Xirrus kit was ideal as it optimises the Wi-Fi connections for those devices operating in both 2.4 GHz and 5GHz bandwidths.”
The clinical use of wireless is one of the most visible and obvious uses, but there are other key ways in which Bedford is using the technology to enhance working practices. Pharmacists are also able to use devices that are connected wirelessly to check stocks of particular drugs from wherever they happen to be. Managers and administrators can hold paperless meetings where they have access to patient records, hospital information, and all the usual data and files they would work with from their usual desk — helping them to make decisions and deliver action plans more efficiently.
The hospital also needed to allow third parties such as police officers and representatives of other health-related agencies access to the internet while at meetings in the hospital. From social workers to staff from the transplant authority, being able to get online while attending meetings or patient emergencies at Bedford Hospital can mean reduced administrative delays — information is available instantly. Follow-up actions can be logged, stored and circulated in real time, not after hours or even days have elapsed.
Sean Larner, VP International at Xirrus, comments: “Bedford Hospital now enjoys wireless connectivity that enables and supports a truly progressive BYOD scheme. With Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt outlining plans for a paperless NHS by 2018, Bedford is a fantastic example of a progressive hospital ahead of the game, using wireless to improve productivity and flexibility in the workplace, while also enhancing the delivery of patient care.”
Xirrus is the leading provider of high-performance wireless networks. Xirrus solutions perform under the most demanding circumstances, offering consistent “wired-like” performance with superior coverage and security. The Xirrus suite of Wi-Fi optimized solutions — Arrays, access points, cloud services, and wired switches — provide seamless connectivity and unified management across the network. Xirrus provides a vital strategic business and IT infrastructure advantage to industries that depend on wireless to operate business-critical applications. With tens of thousands of customer solutions deployed globally, Xirrus maintains operations and partnerships across the globe. Xirrus is a privately held company and is headquartered in Thousand Oaks, CA. For more information, please visit: and follow us on Twitter: .
Xirrus and XMS are trademarks or registered trademarks of Xirrus. Other trade names used in this document are or may be the property of their respective owners.
Bedford Hospital NHS Trust is a 403 bed, high performing acute district general hospital committed to providing a caring and safe environment for our patients and staff. The Trust provides a range of services to over 270,000 people living predominantly in north and mid Bedfordshire and is the vascular hub for the county.
The Trust has been named one of the country-s top 40 hospitals for ten successive years, by the independent data analyst CHKS. It was also rated -good- in last year-s PEAT (Patient Environment Action Teams) assessment by the NPSA.
Bedford Hospital has over 2,000 members of staff and a current turnover of approximately £ 121 million. The hospital enjoys strong community support with over 200 volunteers at the Trust and over £ 6 million being raised by the independent Bedford Hospitals Charity over the past 10 years. The fantastic support from the hospital charity has enabled the Trust to build a dedicated cancer centre, the Primrose unit, the women-s and children-s services wing, Cygnet wing, and a new midwife-led birthing unit called the Acorn Suite.
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