The Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Foundation Trust’s Innovation Panel is back in business, and has made its first award since the coronavirus pandemic began.
The panel has agreed to fund the cost of a year-long pilot project of remote Pre-Op Assessment clinics for patients having surgery.
The RUH’s Pre-op Assessment Unit ensures that patients are at their best optimum health prior to any surgery or surgical procedure.
The unit will use the online MyPreOp program, which allows patients to complete a comprehensive assessment of their general health and medical history from the comfort of their home.
This digital report then highlights any areas of concern and helps to identify patients with conditions who will need a face-to-face consultation.
Dr Rowan Hardy, RUH Lead for Pre-Operative Assessment, said: “The MyPreOp system has great potential for improving patient experience and making clinics more efficient.
“It will reduce the number of visits that patients have to make, saving them the trouble and inconvenience of travelling, and it will release more time for nurses and doctors to spend with those patients who actually need more personal attention.
“If the pilot is a success it could be a great benefit for the future, not just in Pre-Op but in other areas such as children’s surgery and non-theatre treatments.”
Fiona Bird and Elizabeth Poskitt, Joint Chairs of the Innovation Panel, said: “We’re really impressed by this project’s potential and by Rowan’s comprehensive presentation.
“We’re pleased to be able to support the pilot and look forward to receiving and reviewing many more such innovative ideas.”
The RUH Trust’s Innovation Panel provides support and funding for projects to improve patient care and experience or increase efficiency across the hospital.
The Innovation Panel will consider applications to cover things such as:
- Funding to allow staff to develop new and innovative ways of working
- Funding for staff to evaluate pilots
- Short-term pilots to test ideas and ways of working
- Schemes that require pump priming to change ways of working
- Different or new use of technologies that support efficiency or innovation
- Development of technologies that support efficiency or innovation
