New Royal Liverpool University Hospital opens with digital patient flow

Digital patient flow technology will play a key role in managing outpatient appointments at the recently opened Royal Liverpool University Hospital

The Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has launched Intouch with Health’s patient flow technology inside the recently opened Royal Liverpool University Hospital, including the Flow Manager, enabling staff to view the status of every appointment – including when a patient has arrived, if they have been called to be seen, and when they are in session with a clinician.

The hospital, which opened in October 2022, has also launched 15 digital patient self-check-in kiosks located throughout its main outpatient atrium, and 20 digital calling screens in the outpatient waiting areas, that are used to notify patients to proceed to a specific clinic room for their appointment.

Jo Pepper, Deputy Head of Patient Access Services at Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, said: “Our patients will arrive, they’ll use our fast check-in services at one of our kiosks, that will allow them to sit in comfortable areas, not necessarily a traditional waiting room. They’ll be able to watch our screens and be called up to their appointment when their clinician is ready.

“Flow Manager allows us to monitor our patients; where they are, and where they’re going. We’re also working towards launching Intouch with Health’s Activity Manager module, which will allow staff to move patients to and from different locations across outpatients.

“We’ll also be looking at launching mobile check-in and mobile calling in phase two of the project. Mobile check-in will allow patients to move more freely around the building and make use of the lovely outside space we have at the new hospital while they’re waiting to be called to their appointment.”

Ms Pepper said the Trust also plans to replace paper appointment outcome forms with Intouch’s digital outcomes recording software, eOutcomes.

She added: “We are also working towards using electronic outcome forms to get rid of all paper in our outpatient clinical areas.”

Kev Fletcher, Director of Patient Flow at VitalHub UK, said: “We are delighted to partner with the Royal Liverpool team to support staff and patients at this new, state-of-the-art hospital.

“Intouch with Health’s Flow Manager gives staff working in outpatients the tools to digitally plan and manage every patient’s journey effectively, which helps clinics run more efficiently and meets the demands of the busy department – all while integrating with the Trust’s EPR to help improve care coordination across the Trust and deliver significant operational efficiencies.”

The new Royal Liverpool University Hospital provides inpatients with 100% single en-suite bedrooms, improving patient experience, safety, and enhanced recovery. It has 640 beds, including 40 critical care beds in ICU and HDU, and 18 standard wards each with 28 single rooms with en-suite bathroom, and 18 state-of-the-art operating theatres.

The new building uses three link bridges to connect with the adjacent Clatterbridge Cancer Centre, which will enable seriously ill cancer patients to receive rapid access to the services.