The organisation
Informatics Merseyside is an Information Management and Technology (IM&T) NHS shared service that supports 11 different trusts, with 28,000 users, 18,000 IT devices and 750,000 patients across the Merseyside health economy.
The challenge
Healthcare providers are under increasing pressure to realise cost savings and improve patient care, and agile working and hotdesking are key concepts within organisations trying to drive efficiencies.
When we first started a paperless board at Informatics Merseyside, we were using the devices’ configuration utilities to set up profiles on devices, but, before long, there were a lot of devices out there and we realised that we didn’t have the required security control over them
Healthcare providers look to mobile initiatives to drive savings through paperless boards, which eliminate the need to print hundreds of pages of paper and allow for greater flexibility and easier management. Electronic medical records also allow for remote view of patient data with online storage facilities and easy data sharing.
The devices, apps and content sharing facilities used to access sensitive patient data need to be secured and healthcare-specific regulations, such as limitations on where data can be stored, also play an important role. To meet these requirements, healthcare organisations are turning to Enterprise Mobility Management (EMM) solutions, which include device, application, content and email management.
“We started to look at mobile device management (MDM) solutions when, as a result of our paperless board, more and more mobile devices were being deployed onto the organisational network,” said Steven Parker, technical innovations lead at Informatics Merseyside.
“When we first started a paperless board at Informatics Merseyside, we were using the devices’ configuration utilities to set up profiles on devices, but, before long, there were a lot of devices out there and we realised that we didn’t have the required security control over them, as it wasn’t possible to make any wireless changes.”
The solution
To secure its paperless board, Informatics Merseyside has implemented AirWatch. This allows the organisation to secure a fleet of devices, send updates ‘over the air’ and reduce the cost and time associated with printing board documents.
“The beauty of AirWatch is the fact that our end users haven’t noticed it. And, to me, that proves what a good product it is,” says Parker. “The remote-wipe capabilities provide peace of mind that, should a device be lost or stolen, we now have the capabilities to remove any corporate data.”
Through AirWatch’s multi-tenancy capability, Informatics Merseyside enables its 11 regional partner trusts to implement mobile productivity strategies by leveraging the centre of excellence provided by the AirWatch administrator.
The beauty of AirWatch is the fact that our end users haven’t even noticed it
“We have the ability to delegate rights, deliver configurations and put restrictions in place,” says Parker.
Through its I’M Mobile initiative, Informatics Merseyside enables clinicians in its partner organisations to access patient data through custom-developed apps that are deployed to the devices and updated using AirWatch’s Mobile Application Management (MAM) functionality.
Employees can now log in from home and download their patient lists and details into a fully-encrypted offine form, eliminating the need to go into the office before being able to see patients.