Dewsbury and District Hospital, part of Mid Yorkshire Teaching NHS Trust, has installed a new digital data centre (DDC).
The DDC is a new purpose-built facility located on the Dewsbury site and will house around 300 servers, together with storing and managing data.
The purpose of the DDC is to support the 24/7 operation of a vast range of digital systems that underpin clinical and non-clinical activities at the Trust.
The new DDC replaces Dewsbury’s former outdated data centre, which was no longer built for purpose.
Further, the former DDC had no potential for expansion due to being housed within an existing hospital building.
The DDC is a new purpose-built facility located on the Dewsbury site
Air conditioning issues also resulted in outages during summer months caused by excessive heat.
Although many of the key benefits will be ‘behind the scenes’, the DDC will provide crucial improvements to the Trust’s IT-related infrastructure and performance.
The new DDC will realise a host of benefits for both patients and staff.
The DDC’s increased system resilience will allow for a more safe and secure service to be provided by Mid Yorkshire’s Digital Services department.
This will mean fewer unplanned outages and a substantial reduction in system downtime.
This means more robust cyber security for the organisation
The net benefit is a significant improvement in the safety of patients, and the resulting fewer delays and cancellations will improve patient experience.
This also means more robust cyber security for the organisation.
Threats from cyber attacks are extremely prevalent across the NHS and therefore having preventative measures in place to protect against such risks is vital.
Additionally, increased capacity – both now and for the future – will enable the implementation of ever-advancing technologies to be supported, as well as allowing existing services to be developed further.
Installing the data centre has been a complex operation, with a 300-tonne crane being required to install the new facility on site.
It is vital that we meet the challenge of improving patient outcomes and experience through maximising the potential benefits of new technologies
Collaborative working from teams across Mid Yorkshire has been key to the project being successfully delivered, which has included the operations and projects teams within Digital Services, together will colleagues from Estates.
External partnerships working with suppliers such as Dell, Schneider, Daisy and BCS have ensured the project was managed effectively and with the necessary expertise.
Mat Ramskill, Head of Digital Platforms, said: “Digital transformation in healthcare is a key focus for the NHS and for us at Mid Yorkshire. The new digital data centre will support the delivery of this across the Trust by enabling us to take full advantage of all appropriate technological opportunities.”
Kat Poole, Associate Director of Infrastructure: Digital, added: “It is vital that we meet the challenge of improving patient outcomes and experience through maximising the potential benefits of new technologies. Future-proofing our digital infrastructure with leading-edge support will be crucial to achieving this.”