Tech team deliver the goods in successful transfer of prison care
Earlier this year, NHS England asked Northamptonshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust (NHFT) to become the provider of healthcare at seven prisons (including other secured sites) across Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire.
The Trust already provides safe, quality healthcare services at several secured sites elsewhere and, in July, HMP Lowdham Grange, just outside Nottingham, became the first of the latest prisons to transfer its health services over to NHFT.
As well as welcoming existing healthcare staff at Lowdham to the Trust and recruiting new colleagues to join them, a huge amount of work has taken place behind the scenes to ensure the transfer could be a success.
And because modern healthcare depends upon technology to run smoothly and effectively, this included a huge operation to ensure the necessary IT infrastructure and equipment was all in place ahead of the move.
NHFT's IT team, Digital Technology Services (DTS), pulled out all the stops to set up the new digital network within the prison for 120 new users, safely and securely transfer over clinical records, and source and install more than 60 desktop computers, 80-plus monitors and specialist tech equipment and printers.
The operation was coordinated by five team members who were deployed on site, supported by colleagues back at base, planning and delivering the project in a short timeframe and solving problems along the way.
Their work would be challenging enough in any circumstances, but in a secured environment where all movements must be carefully monitored and escorts required to move around the site, the scale of the achievement is even more impressive.
Jackie Perkins, DTS Clinical Safety Officer at NHFT, said: "The whole team did an incredible job completing this challenging project in such a short space of time to ensure a safe and successful transfer of this service. To do all this in a secure clinical environment while enabling clinicians to continue to deliver quality care to our service users was a remarkable achievement."
NHFT's remaining six new secured sites will complete their transfers by 31 March 2026. They include HMP Nottingham and Ranby in Nottinghamshire and HMP Lincoln, North Sea Camp, Morton Hall and Swinderby Short-Term Holding Facility in Lincolnshire.