This week sees the exciting launch of a major digital upgrade at our Trust which will long term improve the care we provide for our patients.
Phase One – a new Patient Administration System (PAS) – will be introduced from Friday 19 April.
It will replace the Trust’s 20-year-old patient administration system and involves over one million patient records and the training of over 5,000 members of staff.
Additional staff will be in place during the launch weekend and for the following three weeks. The Trust has worked closely with other hospitals and national digital teams to plan the switchover.
We will contact any patients affected during the transition from the old to the new system and they do not need to take any action – new appointment letters will be sent out.
During the transition period we will not have access to some digital systems, so some of our processes will be slower than usual.
We thank patients in advance for their support and understanding during this period and apologise for any delays they may experience. It may take patients longer to be booked in if they need to attend the hospital or attend for an urgent appointment.
Patients can also help us by not calling our bookings team during the transition period unless they have a very urgent enquiry that cannot wait for two weeks. We want to keep phone lines clear for very urgent patients so their call can be dealt with promptly.
The Trust’s Emergency Departments will remain open for patients with life-threatening conditions.
If it is not an emergency then please use the other options available to you such as community pharmacies, Minor Injury Units located at Whitchurch, Bridgnorth, Oswestry and Ludlow, and NHS 111. More details on what healthcare services are on offer can be found at www.thinkwhichservice.com.
More roadshow dates have also been announced as part of the Hospitals Transformation Programme (HTP).
The HTP plans will mean the population of Shropshire, Telford & Wrekin and mid Wales will benefit from high quality, sustainable care and fewer delays for treatment for everyone, at two thriving hospital sites. The HTP plans will see the PRH site specialising in planned care, and the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital (RSH) site specialising in emergency care. In addition to this, 24/7 urgent care services will be available at both sites.
Clinicians and the programme team will attend each session to answer questions, explain the proposed clinically led model of care, and encourage members of the public to stay involved through the Trust’s regular focus groups.
Dates for the sessions are as follows:Wednesday 15 May – Age UK Office, Shrewsbury, 1pm – 4pm; Thursday 23 May – Wellington Market, 10am – 2pm and Thursday 13 June – Mayfair Community Centre, Church Stretton, 10am – 1pm
More dates and locations will be announced over the coming months.
Often when people think about our hospitals, they think mostly of doctors and nurses, but we would not be anywhere without the administrative professionals that work tirelessly behind the scenes.
Tomorrow is Administrative Professionals Day and we will be recognising a huge range of varied roles across the Trust, and the huge role they play for patients and colleagues, handling appointments, managing workload and supporting clinical teams across the organisation, often helping to keep everything organised and moving.