Basingstoke ObserverHAMPSHIRE Hospitals’ orthopaedic team has rolled out an innovative solution to enable better collaboration amongst Multi-Disciplinary Teams (MDTs) located across multiple hospital sites and in turn increasing the spectrum of input from healthcare professionals on cases coming through the Hospital’s orthopaedic department.
Working in partnership with East Midlands-based specialist distributor of bespoke healthcare IT solutions Hospital Services Limited (HSL), the solution has aided the hospitals in reducing travel and increasing collaboration amongst regional MDTs currently working across multiple sites.
Implemented as a direct response to remote working required during the Covid-19 pandemic, the system has been successfully embraced by the Hip MDT, Knee MDT and Upper Limb MDT, accommodating meetings of approximately 6-15 team members as well as seminars of up to 50 people and recently a large meeting with regional hospitals which accommodated 104 participants.
Highlighting how increased collaboration through the virtual system is helping to improve the level of patient care at Hampshire Hospitals, a recent case was presented at Bath Hospital involving a young man who had been previously advised that he needed a new knee. Working in consultation with the MDT, the orthopaedic team at Bath took advantage of the vast pool of knowledge available from consultants in Basingstoke, the Regional Centre of Excellence for Osteotomy which runs masterclasses which are beneficial for improving knowledge within the region to benefit patients, resulting in a definitive answer for the patient.
Reflecting on the success of this collaborative project between HSL and Hampshire Hospitals Joanne Rix, Telehealth and Communications for HSL said: “The brief for this project was to provide a video conferencing system for MDT meetings with 3 screens, a good quality camera, and audio pick up to allow for collaboration across the region. HSL’s team worked closely with the consultation and IT teams at Hampshire Hospitals to explore the best solution to meet all the needs and future proof the communication function within the Trust. We are delighted by the outcome – an easy to use and adaptable telehealth solution devised to encourage collaboration, sustainability, and help improve the quality of patient care through additional expert input on cases.”
David Howard, Lead Orthopaedic Surgical Practitioner and Orthopaedic MDT Lead at Hampshire Hospitals added:, “From the second I got involved in the project, access to HSL’s team was simple and no request was ever a problem. HSL’s in-depth knowledge of our work and understanding of our needs as well as their calmness when reacting to challenges and fielding technical queries made them ideal partners for implementing the solution.”
