Project Overview: Yorkshire Ambulance Service (YAS) NHS is championing the digitization of patient records to save time and reduce administrative burden by automatically sending patient data to emergency departments before arrival. This involves transferring data to the hospital’s Trust Integration Engine (TIE) and creating an encounter. Below is an outline of the comprehensive work I do each time we are onboarding a new hospital.
1. Requirements Gathering:
- Stakeholder Meetings:
- Conducted detailed meetings with key stakeholders (clinical staff, IT teams, project managers) to understand current processes and pain points.
- Identified critical business requirements such as real-time data transfer, patient data accuracy, and system integration needs.
- Workshops and Interviews:
- Organized workshops and conducted interviews with end-users to gather detailed requirements and expectations.
- Used surveys to collect additional input on desired functionalities and pain points in the current system.
- Documentation:
- Compiled requirements into a comprehensive Requirements Specification Document.
- Ensured all business needs were clearly translated into technical specifications.
2. Process Mapping:
- Current State Analysis:
- Mapped out the existing process flow of patient data handling, from the ambulance service to hospital admission.
- Identified inefficiencies, bottlenecks, and areas prone to errors.
- Future State Process:
- Designed the Target Operating Model (TOM) for the digital Transfer of Care (ToC) process.
- Created detailed process maps illustrating the new workflow, including automatic data transfer to TIE and encounter creation in the hospital system.
3. Gap Analysis:
- Identifying Gaps:
- Conducted a gap analysis to compare current capabilities with the desired future state.
- Identified gaps in technology, data handling, and process workflows.
- Recommendations:
- Provided recommendations to bridge identified gaps, including system upgrades, process re-engineering, and staff training.
4. Technical Implementation:
- Finalizing Commercial Agreements:
- Coordinated with Mid Yorks (MY) and EMIS to finalize commercial agreements for the Symphony v3.1 upgrade.
- Scheduling and Deployment:
- Scheduled the Symphony v3.1 upgrade, considering timelines and potential impacts of school holidays and winter pressures.
- Confirmed deployment schedules and readiness with EMIS and MY teams.
- Configuration and Testing:
- Configured test systems for YAS, YHCR, and MY.
- Scheduled comprehensive test sessions involving clinical and administrative staff.
- Ensured all test environments were configured correctly and included necessary message flows.
5. Stakeholder Management:
- Engagement:
- Maintained regular communication with all stakeholders, including YAS, YHCR, MY, and EMIS teams.
- Ensured stakeholder buy-in and addressed concerns promptly.
- Approval Processes:
- Facilitated the submission and approval of the ToC scope document to the Yorkshire Health and Care Record (YHCR).
- Coordinated clinical safety sign-offs and ensured inclusion of new Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) in the test reports.
6. Testing and Validation:
- Test Execution:
- Performed a comprehensive test session simulating the “TO BE” scenario.
- Ensured clinical and administrative staff could see the new workflow in action and were ready to produce new SOPs for ToC.
- Validation:
- Validated that the transformed data met all business and technical requirements.
- Worked with end-users to ensure the new system met their needs and improved workflow efficiency.
7. Go-Live Preparation and Execution:
- Go-Live Planning:
- Scheduled the go-live date and ensured all parties were ready for production.
- Configured production systems for a smooth transition to the new digital ToC process.
- Final Checks:
- Confirmed that the system functioned as expected in a live environment.
- Monitored the initial go-live phase to address any immediate issues.
Expected Outcomes:
- Efficiency Gains:
- Significantly reduced administrative burden and manual data entry errors.
- Streamlined the patient transfer process, allowing for real-time data access.
- Improved Data Accuracy:
- Enhanced accuracy of patient information sent to emergency departments.
- Reduced errors associated with manual data handling.
- Operational Benefits:
- Provided real-time and historical dashboards for vehicle and patient data.
- Improved compliance tracking and reporting for patient transport services.