Olympus partners with King’s College Hospital to deliver Britain’s largest 3D surgical endoscopy installation

Olympus Medical has announced a partnership with one of London’s largest and busiest teaching hospitals - King’s College Hospital (KCH) - with the aim of improving patient care, as well as overall efficiency.

Through the partnership two new operating theatres have been created featuring upgraded surgical technologies including Full HD (FHD), 3D and 4K surgical imaging platforms and surgical tissue management system ‘THUNDERBEAT’.

“Olympus is thrilled with what has been achieved through this partnership,“ said Mark Graves, head of endotherapy and strategic development at Olympus KeyMed.

“Having the opportunity to work closely with procurement, clinicians and theatre management has enabled us to identify the best implementation solution. This new approach maximises efficiency and uptime. We are excited at the prospect of continuing the partnership with King’s to enable transformation and sustainability in healthcare.”

In October 2012, Olympus was invited to tender for the provision of a managed equipment service within a theatre setting. Olympus proposed its Guaranteed Performance Solutions (GPS), designed specifically to respond to the changing health service landscape. The aim of this was to improve patient outcomes through efficiency gains, offering the best-possible value for money to the trust.

As the name suggests, a key element of Olympus’ provision is the guarantee. Olympus commits to ensure that the latest medical technology, within the scope of the agreement, is available to the clinician precisely when required. It must be fit for purpose and maintained to an appropriate level to enhance the patient’s experience. The GPS removes the reliance on high residual values typically built into a traditional leasing agreement. As a result, budget planning throughout the term is straightforward and transparent with fixed annual charges and no equipment return fees.

In March 2015, Olympus was confirmed as the successful service provider and began preparations for a large-scale implementation of mobile imaging equipment and fully-integrated turnkey operating theatres.

Throughout the process Olympus worked closely with the trust team comprising of senior clinicians, divisional leads and procurement. The procurement lead steered the team through the competitive dialogue process.

“The introduction of this technology to the theatres has been positively welcomed by both clinical and non-clinical teams,“ said Kara Hollings, theatre service manager at King’s College Hospital.

“Everyone has been very excited to be involved in this important project, which will have a significant impact on patient care. The integration of the new ground-breaking technology has been incredibly smooth. The delivery of efficient patient care has been maintained during the entire process and disruption has been minimised which is so critical in a live working environment.“

Laparoscopic and image-guided surgeries are increasingly taking place in an integrated surgical environment which includes high-resolution video displays, touch-screen control, and archival digital information. The move towards such integrated surgeries can help reduce dependence on mobile equipment, increase patient flow and improve patient outcomes.

Olympus replaced existing, older equipment with 16 mobile 2D and 3D surgical imaging platforms for inpatients and day surgery units. In January, the first of three ENDOALPHA 3D integrated laparoscopic theatres was completed at the Denmark Hill site.

“It is very pleasing to see NHS trusts adopting new technologies which can have such a marked impact on day-to-day efficiencies in surgery,“ said Asif Haq, consultant laparoscopic colorectal and general surgeon.

“Ultimately, any solution that can improve patient care while saving costs is a positive step forward to help support the delivery of services for the people who need them.“