Fuelling the digital transformation of the NHS with a life-saving mobile solution

The brief

The NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) teams only have a limited amount of time to retrieve life-saving organs before they’re no longer suitable for use.

When they first approached us, their procedure for Specialist Nurses was plagued with lengthy paper-based admin procedures – valuable time that should have been spent with patient families.

They needed a modernised mobile solution that was hugely efficient, quick to use and which cut the risk of error as they were forever duplicating information across the system.

What we did

We worked closely with their team to build the tablet-based DonorPath app, developed specifically with Specialist Nurses in mind.

They’re able to capture over 600 data points per patient inside the app, which is integrated into the NHS back-office systems so that all information on those patients is updated across the organisation.

No more duplication, no more potential for error.

But getting the input of the people who’d use the app every day was critical, so we put the app through a rigorous UX development process and testing phase using Specialist Nurses to determine any areas of improvement.

The results

The DonorPath app is now live in over 260 hospitals across the UK, with over 18,000 forms submitted through the app each year.

The reduction in duplicated workload (estimated by the NHS at 25%) for Specialist Nurses means they now save 766 hours of time through improved productivity.

132,000 pieces of A4 paper no longer need to be printed (and stored!) while data security has improved via the encrypted data.

The DonorPath app forms part of a wider digital transformation within the NHS, and aside from their on-going support contract, we’re already working closely with them on their next steps.

It’s also gone on to win a number of awards, including the Transformation category at the Big Chip Awards 2017, and “Best use of technology to improve the working environment” at the Nursing Times Workforce Awards 2018.