Oxford University Hospitals NHS Trust successfully launches Datix patient safety software
Integrated platform reports incidents quickly and consistently across four hospitals
Oxford University Hospitals NHS Trust (OUH), one of the largest acute teaching trusts in the UK, has successfully deployed Datix patient safety software to manage incidents, complaints and claims across the recently merged 11,000-strong healthcare organisation.
When Oxford University Hospitals NHS Trust was formed in 2012, it sought to create a single, integrated platform that could report incidents quickly and consistently across all of its four hospitals: the John Radcliffe Hospital, Churchill Hospital and Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre, all located in Oxford; and the Horton General Hospital in Banbury in the north of Oxfordshire.
Karl Valentin, project support manager for safety, quality and risk at OUH, said: “Datix had been well used and adopted at the Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre since 2008 – a positive experience we aimed to realise across the wider organisation. The automated, web-based capabilities of Datix, together with its flexibility and high degree of customisation, promised an efficient, integrated solution to capture incidents across the newly formed and far larger OUH infrastructure. What is more, Datix has the power to become a vital intelligence tool to support good governance across the organisation.”
Today, more than 11,000 employees have access to the Datix system to report on incidents electronically and OUH’s complaints department plans to make Datix its central repository for receiving, handling and reporting on claims and complaints.
In the region of 1,000 managers were initially trained to manage and review incidents reported on the system. Prior to the merger, this was a more manual and time-consuming process for a number of areas across the trust, which has been replaced by easily-accessible web forms available to all users across all sites. OUH are now continuing to build on this by supporting managers and teams to design and produce more advanced reports to help analyse data at the local and organisational level.
The automation provided by Datix in a single, integrated platform has transformed the way OUH manages patient safety, delivering considerable time savings for staff and management. The popularity of the solution has been demonstrated by an increase in the number of incidents being reported in Datix.
OUH has also welcomed the opportunity to network with other Datix users and become part of the wider community. Valentin said: “Datix helps its customers realise the potential of the technology by providing a range of events that actively promote knowledge-sharing across the Datix community. Learning from other Datix users in the UK and being aware of the achievements realised by some international customers has highlighted the exciting possibilities for the future with Datix. Being part of a close-knit user community gives us many opportunities to share innovations and enhancements to help inform our own local Datix implementation.”
Jonathan Hazan, chief executive of Datix, added: “Our flexible, highly-customisable software is ideal for complex NHS organisations facing constant change. In a very short space of time, OUH has managed to roll out electronic reporting to the whole trust, instilling confidence and contributing to a better patient experience. Our collaborative approach to learning gives customers a positive environment in which to flourish, learn new skills and fully utilise their resources, maximising their investment in Datix from the very beginning.”
- Companies:
- Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre
- Oxford University Hospitals NHS Trust
- Churchill Hospital
- John Radcliffe Hospital
- Datix
- Horton General Hospital
