Public Sector Roundup: Healthcare advances

New networks for Bedfordshire healthcare students

The University of Bedfordshire has teamed up with NTL Telewest Business to provide state-of-the-art facilities for its healthcare students.

The new 700,000 facility spans 85 acres at Butterfield Park. The approximately 300 healthcare staff and students have access to over 2,000 e-journals through the high-speed network set up within the building. The network will also support simulation laboratories, lecture theatres, and functional clinical environments to aid in learning.

John Cunningham, Director of Business Markets at NTL Telewest Business, said: "Using advanced technology, the University can now simulate all the conditions of a hospital so that students can apply the medical knowledge they learn in the lecture theatres to practical situations."

The new technologically advanced campus opened earlier this year.

HP and LaserBand have joined forces on barcode wristbands

HP is collaborating with LaserBand to improve the way patient information is accessed.

The two companies have developed a Patient Identification Solution. A LaserBand can either include a bar code, which can be scanned during procedures such as administering medications to keep the patients chart up to date, or be colour-coded, which, depending on the colour, indicates what type of care the patient needs.

Norman Richardson, vice president of HP Imaging and Printing Group UK, said: "Technology can play an important role in increasing patient safety and ensure hospital infrastructures are optimised, enabling medical staff to spend less time carrying out administrative tasks."

LaserBand is currently the only hospital wristband maker that complies with the government legislation that came into effect this summer.

West Sussex partners with Capgemini

The West Sussex County Council has chosen Capgemini UK as its programme partner for an ongoing service review.

The programme is trying to enhance the Council to make it the best public sector in the UK, and has already begun with improvements in cost efficiency. So far, the transformation has said to have saved 50 million.

Capgemini's framework contract will cover all three major components of the programme, including transformational change, operational service improvement and IT.

Graham Colclough, global vice president of cities and regions at Capgemini, said: "The council has already achieved much success with its transformation programme to date, and we are delighted to be working with them to build on that success."