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NWIS developers build vital links in NHS COVID-19 app
Developers from NWIS have been part of the team ensuring the NHS COVID-19 app links with data and systems being used in Wales to help stop the spread of coronavirus. The success of the integration work between the app and laboratory systems has seen the app run smoothly in Wales.
The integration completed by NWIS has ensured that if an app user books a COVID19 test via the app, the result is returned to the app for a seamless update. If they book via any other mechanism, they will receive a token alongside the SMS result for manual input into the app to unlock the latest COVID-19 isolation advice. In Wales, citizens with a negative and positive result will receive a token and have the ability to input into the app.
Following the launch of the app on 24th September it was downloaded over 12 million times in the first week. One key feature of the app is exposure notification which works by logging the amount of time a user spends near other app users, and the distance between them, so it can alert the user if someone they have been close to later tests positive for COVID-19 - even if they don't know each other. The app will advise the user to self-isolate if they have been in close contact with a confirmed case.
Wales' Health Minister Vaughan Gething said: "The launch of the NHS COVID-19 app is an important part of Wales' coronavirus response, supporting the NHS Wales Test, Trace, Protect programme. The more people who download and use this app, the more it will help us to prevent the spread of COVID-19."
The app has been designed with user privacy in mind, so it tracks the virus, not people and uses the latest in data security technology to protect privacy. The system generates a random ID for an individual's device, which can be exchanged between devices via Bluetooth. These unique random IDs regenerate frequently to add an extra layer of security and preserve anonymity.
The app does not hold personal information such as name, address or date of birth, and only requires the first half of a postcode to ensure local outbreaks can be managed.
Whilst the app will be a major support for the contact tracing system, Welsh residents are being reminded to continue to keep Wales safe and prevent the spread of COVID-19 by: - Always keeping a distance
- Washing hands regularly
- Working from home wherever possible
- Following local restrictions
- Following the rules about meeting people
- Staying at home if you or anyone in your extended household has symptoms
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Digital diabetes records helps with patients' care during pandemic
A Digital Diabetes Consultation Note has helped to deliver care to diabetes patients throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. The note allows healthcare professionals to record and view readings and observations, medications and other patient information. A PDF of the note is made available in the Welsh Clinical Portal, which can be accessed by clinicians using the system across Wales.
Dr Phil Evans from Royal Glamorgan hospital said: "During the COVID crisis, emergency inpatient care was delivered by clinical teams on emergency shift patterns, which meant that communication was difficult at times. WISDM (Diabetes Consultation Note) enabled diabetes related information including inpatient ward reviews to be available to all inpatient teams including intensive care specialists 24 hours a day even if the diabetes team were unavailable."
The diabetes digital note was previously available in Prince Charles and Royal Glamorgan hospitals, and recently became available in Morriston hospital, Swansea.
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NHS Wales websites to get a refresh
Around 300 websites across NHS Wales are getting a refresh, powered by a new, modern Content Management System (CMS).
Mura, the new CMS, provides a more modern, fit-for-purpose platform to enable local and national organisations to more efficiently deliver communications to stakeholders.
Since 2018, Welsh health boards, trusts, community health councils, and GP practices have been migrating the content of websites to Mura from the old CMS Cascade, which is being retired next spring.
NWIS provides technical and training support for Mura as well as hosting each organisations' site centrally. Their content, meanwhile, is controlled and updated by the local organisations themselves.
A single CMS ensures design and functional compliance with Welsh Government website accessibility regulations.
NWIS, along with Public Health Wales, Betsi Cadwaladr, Cardiff & Vale, Aneurin Bevan, Hywel Dda, Powys and Swansea Bay health boards have already gone live with Mura. Other organisations and GP Practices are following.
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How digital technology is paving the way for change in community pharmacy in Wales
As the role of community pharmacy continues to make a pronounced shift towards a more integrated, patient-focused approach to care, our Clinical Lead for pharmacy, Cheryl Way, takes a look at how digital is playing an important role in shaping its future. You can read her article on our website.
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- Rhidian Hurle, NWIS Medical Director and Chief Clinical Information Officer Wales will be taking part in the Digital Leaders Event this year taking place on 14th October. We will showcase how we've played a vital role in accelerating digital change within NHS Wales during the Covid-19 pandemic. Register now to attend this event.
- Our Director, Helen Thomas will be speaking at the Value in Health Week hosted by the Life Sciences Hub Wales. It is running from the 12th - 16th October with morning, afternoon and evening sessions. You can find the full programme here.
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The importance of clinical coding
A recent report by Audit Wales has highlighted the importance of clinical coding and that it is too often overlooked within NHS Wales.
The report says clinical coding in Wales continues to have a low profile at board level, and arrangements could be enhanced by critically examining the level of investment in resources, good quality source information and engaging medical staff in the coding process.
The report adds the current pandemic provides a real opportunity to raise the profile and secure improvements to a function that underpins the data upon which the NHS relies. It highlights how the use of digital platforms during the pandemic has increased the demand "to secure new and more sustainable ways of delivering coding work."
"The report from Audit Wales is a timely reminder of the scale and value of the data provided by clinical coding staff across Wales and the need to ensure that this service is suitably supported," says Richard Burdon, NWIS Classifications Standards Manager. "The information provided by clinical coding staff is of particular importance currently as it can help provide detail on how COVID-19 is affecting inpatients within Welsh hospitals, as well as continuing to provide a huge resource for clinicians, analysts and others interested in population healthcare trends."
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