Improving Patient Safety - New Electronic Observation System

To make the care we provide even safer, we are replacing paper observation charts with a new electronic system within our in-patient wards.
 
At Whittington Health NHS Trust we take the safety of our patients extremely seriously. It is our top priority. That is why, along with many other healthcare organisations around the world, we are implementing the second edition of The Royal College of Physician’s National Early Warning Score system (NEWS2).
 
NEWS2 is a system for recording patient observations which was developed by the Royal College of Physicians to help more quickly identify patients whose health is deteriorating or who could be at risk of Sepsis.
 
To support this, we are also going to be rolling out Careflow Vitals so that patient observations will be recorded electronically. Each area within the hospital will be issued with iPods for staff on shift to record patient observations, reducing the risk of errors in recording and assessing results.
 
Not only will this speed up recording a set of patient observations – things like breathing, blood pressure, pulse and temperature – it will also reduce the likelihood of recording errors. We are currently delivering thorough training all staff that will be using the new system.
 
We are planning to begin phasing in the use of electronic observations from the middle of October, at which time you will start to see staff using handheld electronic devices to record your or your friend or relative’s observation’s.
 
If you are a member of trust staff logged onto a trust computer you can find out more about the implementation of NEWS2 and CareFlow Vitals, what action you need to take and the support available by clicking here (Staff Access Only)
 
If you are a patient, relative or carer and you have questions please speak to a member of the care team.
Last updated18 Sep 2018
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