When Craig York became associate director of IT at Milton Keynes University Hospital, the meaning of ‘doctor, heal thyself’ was suddenly clear. So, faced with ailing, unreliable networks and schizoid voice switches, he sought someone to help sort things out. Someone with knowledge and experience of get-well projects in healthcare IT.

A BT professional services team recommended a Cisco solution. The business case suddenly added up; not only for now but also for the digital future. Immediate benefits include collaboration technology for doctors and multidisciplinary teams. And the stage is set for the introduction of digital clinical apps.

Fulfilling digital healthcare futures.

Case study - Milton Keynes University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust.

Ideas like unified communications and paperless working seemed in the realm of science fiction. Now clinicians can instantly and securely access the data and apps they need to work efficiently.

Craig York, Associate Director of ITMilton Keynes University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

Working together

A BT & Cisco solution helps Milton Keynes University Hospital operate at peak performance while introducing new clinical apps.

Case Study - Milton Keynes University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust.

Looking beyond the everyday.At every opportunity Milton Keynes University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust tells people that it’s ‘committed to treating you well’. Opened in three phases between 1984 and 1992, it serves the new town and surrounding areas – now the fastest-growing population hotspot in the country.

While its staff and medical facilities always work towards that stated care commitment, the same couldn’t be said of the IT environment. Largely dating back to the hospital’s opening, the network failed twice or more a month, while two separate phone systems made it hard to efficiently handle calls.

Associate director of IT Craig York, says: “When I first arrived ideas like unified communications and paperless working seemed in the realm of science fiction. The day job was about just keeping things going. Something had to change … and fast.”

A public tender led to the appointment of BT to manage the upgrade. Looking beyond the need to raise the IT infrastructure’s bandwidth and make it more reliable, a BT professional services team led a comprehensive survey.

Being – and staying – a best place to work.Taking trends in digital medicine into account, BT helped construct a business case that showed potential savings of up to £11 million over the network lifecycle. Not only that, the stage would be set for advanced clinical applications leading to improved patient outcomes and further savings.

The arrival of young, web-savvy medical students on the campus, following Milton Keynes’ achievement of university hospital status in 2015, was yet another reason for adopting top-notch systems.

John Blakesley, deputy chief executive, confirms: “We recently became a university hospital and were named one of the best places to work in the NHS. For such advances it’s vital to have a strong network in place.”

Powerful and secure instant access.The hospital seized the chance to move to Cisco technology, with highly-available 10Gbps fixed and wireless local area networks and a server-based Cisco Unified Communications Manager voice platform. Replacing the two outdated phone switches, the latter alone saved a five-figure sum. PSTN connection uses four 30-channel BT ISDN30 links.

With the previous wireless network, coverage was patchy and limited bandwidth was another problem. Using advanced features like Cisco CleanAir® Express technology, the wireless network has extended its reach and enhanced its performance right across the entire campus.

A Cisco Identity Services Engine checks to ensure users and their devices are safe to connect to the wireless network. Clinicians have special rights, compared to patients and visitors who can nevertheless browse the internet and stay in touch with loved ones. Meanwhile, Cisco next-generation firewalls keep patient and system data secure.

Both fixed and wireless domains are managed through one system, called Cisco Prime™ Infrastructure, saving time and further reducing administrative effort.

Craig York says: “We don’t get any outages. Network downtime of several hours a month has simply evaporated. Now clinicians can instantly and securely access the data and apps they need to work efficiently.”

Working with BT and Cisco has empowered the hospital for an exciting digital future. That will not only benefit patients and staff but will also enable us to meet customer care and savings targets.

Craig York, Associate Director of ITMilton Keynes University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

We don’t get any outages. Network downtime of several hours a month has simply evaporated. You can plug in a new Cisco phone or access point anywhere and everything works straightaway.

Craig York, Associate Director of ITMilton Keynes University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

Case Study - Milton Keynes University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust.

Collaboration suddenly becomes simple.The new network has seen the introduction of productivity tools such as Cisco Jabber®. This means doctors can work more closely together and more efficiently. They can see when colleagues and nurses are available and connect through voice, video and instant messaging.

Members of multidisciplinary teams can join video conferences at a moment’s notice from anywhere on any device.

The hospital has a unified network with no downtime that’s simpler to manage. “You can plug in a new Cisco phone or access point anywhere and everything works straightaway,” says Craig York.

Stage set for new clinical apps.There’s even better to come. The new wireless network is helping accelerate the introduction of new clinical apps. Among such possibilities are electronic patient records, online input of clinical observations, electronic shift handovers, and hospital-at-night early warning systems.

In terms of administration, enrolling and connecting medical students when they start their courses has also become much easier. Meanwhile wireless triangulation is making patient and asset management much more precise.

Craig York concludes: “Working with BT and Cisco has empowered the hospital for an exciting digital future. That will not only benefit patients and staff but will also enable us to meet customer care and savings targets.”

Offices worldwideThe telecommunications services described in this publication are subject to availability and may be modified from time to time. Services and equipment are provided subject to British Telecommunications plc’s respective standard conditions of contract. Nothing in this publication forms any part of any contract. © British Telecommunications plc 2015. Registered office: 81 Newgate Street, London EC1A 7AJ. Registered in England No: 1800000

April 2016

Find out more:

Contact your BT account manager directly

Core services.• BT professional services

• BT One Collaborate using Cisco Jabber

• BT One Enterprise voice platform using Cisco Unified Communications Manager Business Edition with Cisco Unified SIP and IP Phones

• BT One Enterprise network using Cisco switching and wireless access points/controllers and Cisco Prime™ network management infrastructure

• BT ISDN30 featuring four 30-channel digital connections