The Walton Centre NHS Foundation Trust has renewed its contract with Silverlink Software, to retain the use of one of the country’s leading patient administration systems (PAS), supporting the trust’s strategy to deliver flexible and affordable digital innovation using a ‘best-of-breed’ approach.
As the UK’s only specialist neurosciences trust, The Walton Centre delivers a world-class service in diagnosing and treating disorders affecting the brain, spine, peripheral nerves and muscles for patients. It chose to deploy Silverlink’s PCS PAS in 2003 because of its successful deployments locally, proven integration credentials and effective clinical and administrative features.
The technology’s interoperable capabilities have allowed the trust to buy and build neurophysiology modules that work for its specific needs and budget. Rather than investing in an enterprise-wide solution, The Walton Centre has created an in-house EPR which includes nursing documentation, outpatient workflow, and e-observations, which integrates into the PAS.
It has helped the trust to save millions of pounds and ensured an agile and customisable patient-centred system. The decision to retain Silverlink’s PAS until 2025 ensures the trust can build on this technology infrastructure even further.
Justin Griffiths, Head of IM&T, The Walton Centre NHS Foundation Trust, said: “We are delighted to be renewing our 17-year-long partnership with Silverlink, in pursuit of a best-of-breed approach to digital transformation. Over the course of our working relationship, we have been able to achieve close to full EPR functionality and save millions of pounds by integrating our own digital solutions while ensuring we have a solid architectural foundation using Silverlink’s PAS.
“By doing so, our team has built up a very good relationship with the Silverlink team, and our in-house skills and knowledge have improved significantly. As a trust, we have also learned to be flexible in responding to requests for system changes. It’s meant we have established really good engagement with our clinicians and nurses and we have developed an EPR as a team. This adaptability and responsiveness would not have been achievable with ‘off the shelf’ solutions.”
Since 2003, the trust has implemented Silverlink’s core modules, including bed management, referral to treatment (RTT) and 18-week pathways, as well as a number of specialised add-ons for outpatient examinations. It also enabled the trust to develop its own in-house patient kiosk self-check-ins within just six weeks.
Using the PAS, the trust can also analyse data on patient experiences and outcomes to improve practice methods and positively enhance patient experience. In the latest Care Quality Commission (CQC) National Inpatient Survey, The Walton Centre ranked 6th in terms of “overall experience”.
Tim Quainton, Managing Director, Silverlink Software, said: “The Walton Centre is a great example of how choosing a best-of-breed approach can achieve the same benefits of an enterprise-wide EPR, but without the same level of risk and cost. Despite limited budget and resources, the trust has created a bespoke suite of solutions to support their neurosciences specialities, empowering users and improving patient experience.
“We are proud to renew our contract, and very much looking forward to what the future holds.”
