NHS Tayside strengthens procurement process with commercial visitor tracking service
Borad first to deploy Reptrax SEC3URE from IntelliCentrics UK
In order to strengthen its procurement process, NHS Tayside has installed the Reptrax SEC3URE service from IntelliCentrics UK.
The service enhances the management of commercial visitors - such as healthcare company representatives and contractors - therefore protecting clinical time for patients.
It is the first board in Scotland to install the fully-managed tracking service for commercial visitors. It potentially paves the way for other boards to follow suit - creating a consistent access policy across the country.
The project was driven by NHS Tayside theatre and clinical service management teams who identified the need to introduce safeguards around commercial visitor activity.
As a result, Reptrax SEC3URE has been installed in the procurement department of the region’s biggest hospital and teaching facility, Ninewells Hospital, as well as the University of Dundee’s Medical School, and Perth Royal Infirmary.
Its introduction replaces the board’s paper-based CV management system, which had been in place for the previous five years.
Judith Willis, deputy head of procurement at NHS Tayside, said: “We believe that commercial visitors add value to our services and in several instances are an essential support to our core business. However, it was evident from conversations with nursing staff that unannounced visits were still taking place resulting in diary management challenges and distractions from patient care. In an attempt to address this, the procurement team in Tayside worked with the theatre management team and facilitated the introduction of the Reptrax SEC3URE Service.
“It gives us the monitoring capabilities that we need to ensure that visits, and subsequent procurements, are undertaken in line with our board-wide policies.
“And, of course by stipulating a range of essential credentials, there are the additional benefits of enhanced infection control - and subsequent patient safety.
“Moreover, staff now feel empowered, upon encountering an ‘unbadged’ visitor on site, to either direct them to the procurement department where the protocol will be fully explained or, alternatively, to politely decline the visit.
“A major attraction to the service was the absence of any investment required by the board. Therefore, the implementation of Reptrax SEC3URE was considered to be low risk as if it didn’t deliver benefits the system could simply be unplugged. The system has been active since the beginning of 2016 and so far it appears to be working well for NHS Tayside.
“Not only is CV activity managed, but infection control is also strengthened by ensuring that any such activity complies with the required credentials. This is vital in areas where our most-vulnerable patients are being cared for.
“The benefits of Reptrax SEC3URE also complement the board’s Releasing Time to Care initiative – which aims to ensure that clinical staff spend as much time as possible with patients. Issues of cold calling where staff often feel obliged to meet with those visitors who turn up unannounced – have also been overcome.”
Azadar Shah, managing director of IntelliCentrics UK, added: “By letting the Reptrax SEC3URE service take on the burden of managing commercial visitors, NHS Tayside has the necessary tools to ensure the most-effective adherence to its procurement and safety policies and the best use of clinical time.”
