Pierre Perrin-Monlouis Dernière mise à jour: 20 octobre 2021
Paris, July 2, 2008 – Alcatel-Lucent (Euronext Paris and NYSE: ALU) today announced that Poole Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, located in Dorset, England, is deploying an Alcatel-Lucent Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) to help improve patient care at its 789-bed hospital. The new network, to be installed by Alcatel-Lucent Business Partner Khipu Networks, will be used in association with printed patient wristbands to ensure patient safety by automating blood donation tracking and ultimately streamlining the process of dispensing drugs. The new network also improves bedside care by improving knowledge sharing among the clinical staff with secure anytime, anywhere access to patient records and hospital resources.
The new network is based on the Alcatel-Lucent OmniAccess WLAN technology. Poole Hospital opted for the Alcatel-Lucent solution because of its high availability, the ease with which it integrates with the Trust’s existing Network Access Control solution, and its scalability. The initial rollout will provide up to 400 staff with wireless access and is capable of supporting more than 10,000 devices.
The Trust has a unique philosophy in the ‘Poole Approach’, meaning it provides friendly, professional, patient-centred care with dignity and respect for all. With the new network, staff can check medical notes, instantly book x-rays, MRI and CT scans and follow-up appointments, all from the patient’s bedside. Paperwork is greatly reduced, freeing time for clinicians to focus on their patients. In addition to providing core and emergency services to all residents of Poole, the hospital provides specialised medical and cancer care to the wider population of Dorset, so process efficiencies benefit the entire community.
“Wireless is absolutely imperative if we are to deliver the best possible quality of care to our patients,” said Bob Down, IT Manager, Poole Hospital NHS Foundation Trust. “With the new network, our clinical staff can instantly confirm that the right patient is receiving the right blood and the right medication, and these checks can be undertaken anywhere in the hospital – at the bedside, in theatre or on the wards. We can cut down on the paperwork while improving the safety of the services we offer. This is great for both our staff and our patients.”
In 2009, the Trust plans to add voice over IP (VoIP) to the wireless network, which will dramatically reduce the Trust’s telephony costs. Among those tested by Poole Hospital, only the Alcatel-Lucent WLAN could seamlessly support the handover of calls between wireless cells without loss of quality.
“Poole Hospital NHS Foundation Trust’s infrastructure requirements are very exacting. Network failure is simply not an option, and with more wireless applications planned for the near future, there can be no compromise when it comes to security, scalability or availability. With Alcatel‑Lucent, the Trust has found a solution that best meets all of its stringent demands,” said Vil Dhutia, Commercial Consultant, Khipu Networks.
Khipu Networks, which already manages the hospital’s NAC (Network Access Control) solution, won the contract to undertake the new WLAN installation based on the high level of knowledge, support and responsiveness it provided. Post-deployment, Khipu will offer network support, and will be involved in the rollout of new services over the wireless network.
“Poole Hospital is not only eager to comply with best practice guidelines governing patient safety, it has taken the initiative to introduce services that will improve the standard of the medical care it provides,” said David Parker, vice president for Alcatel-Lucent’s enterprise activities for UK & Ireland. “We’re complimented that our wireless technology will play a central role in the delivery of top quality medical services.”
Alcatel-Lucent helps dynamic enterprises like Poole Hospital NHS Foundation Trust interconnect their networks, people, processes and knowledge for competitive advantage through strengthened relationships, simplified communications, and improved performance.
About Poole Hospital NHS Trust
Poole Hospital NHS Foundation Trust is an acute general hospital with 789 beds. It is the major trauma centre for East Dorset and provides a range of district hospital care and a number of core services such as child health and maternity for a wider catchment area, including Bournemouth and Christchurch. The Hospital also provides specialist services such as neurological care for the whole of Dorset, and houses the Dorset Cancer Centre. http://www.poole.nhs.uk
About Khipu Networks
Khipu Networks is a UK-based advanced systems integrator, focusing on supplying innovative secure compliant infrastructure solutions across the public and private sector. The company is a leading adopter of new and best-in-breed technology – expert technical staff ensure that customers get the solutions they need, when they want them and how they need them. The ethos is to ensure that the customer has the edge on the security and compliance of their network and not the attacker. Hampshire based Khipu Networks Ltd is the security division of the White Clarke Group of companies. Khipu Networks is an Alcatel Direct Partner and the exclusive reseller of Bradford Campus Manager in the UK and Ireland. http://www.khipu-networks.com
About Alcatel-Lucent
Alcatel-Lucent (Euronext Paris and NYSE: ALU) provides solutions that enable service providers, enterprise and governments worldwide, to deliver voice, data and video communication services to end-users. As a leader in fixed, mobile and converged broadband networking, IP technologies, applications and services, Alcatel-Lucent offers the end-to-end solutions that enable compelling communications services for people at home, at work and on the move. With operations in more than 130 countries, Alcatel-Lucent is a local partner with global reach. The company has the most experienced global services team in the industry, and one of the largest research, technology and innovation organizations in the telecommunications industry. Alcatel-Lucent achieved revenues of Euro 17.8 billion in 2007 and is incorporated in France, with executive offices located in Paris. For more information, visit Alcatel-Lucent on the Internet: http://www.alcatel-lucent.com
Contact the Alcatel-Lucent Press Office: [email protected]
