Connectivity

Care Plus Group Case Study: Empowering staff with Samsung Galaxy Books & BT Business

Supporting the heroes of community-based healthcare

March 20, 2024

The challenge

Care Plus Group faced challenges with unreliable connections and the ability to access and update data in real time from the patients homes. Slow data uploads, relying on patient Wi-Fi, lead to further delays on appointments.

The solution

Partnering with Samsung, we implemented a trial solution featuring laptops with built-in EE SIMs, ensuring the right configuration and network stability while prioritising security, fast patient information access, and portability.

The result

With reliable connectivity and data-informed decisions, the Care Plus team reduced clinical risk while efficiently updating live patient records and ensuring readiness for all visits. Quick prescriptions to local pharmacies enabled timely medication delivery. 

The challenge

Care Plus Group faced challenges with unreliable connections and the ability to access and update data in real time from the patients homes. Slow data uploads, relying on patient Wi-Fi, lead to further delays on appointments.

The solution

Partnering with Samsung, we implemented a trial solution featuring laptops with built-in EE SIMs, ensuring the right configuration and network stability while prioritising security, fast patient information access, and portability.

The result

With reliable connectivity and data-informed decisions, the Care Plus team reduced clinical risk while efficiently updating live patient records and ensuring readiness for all visits. Quick prescriptions to local pharmacies enabled timely medication delivery. 

It’s no secret that healthcare is facing enormous challenges right now. Three-quarters (74%) of homecare providers report an increase in demand. More than half (56%) say they’re providing increasingly complex services to those leaving hospital, and there are rising levels of unplanned care visits. Those on the front line are under constant pressure to do more with less, including the team at Care Plus Group.

Care Plus Group works with communities across North East Lincolnshire, providing health and social care for adults of all ages. It supports its patients with a wide range of services, from specialist nursing to rehabilitation services and care for older people, helping maintain and improve the region’s health and wellbeing.

Much of their time is spent in patients’ homes because it’s widely believed that care at home leads to better patient outcomes: there’s less risk of infection, more emotional support from loved ones, and quieter surroundings for better quality rest and recovery. But at-home care services need the right technology to manage demand effectively. Carers need reliable connections, and the ability to access and update files in real time, wherever they’re working. Plus, when you’re handling such confidential information, security is paramount, too.

The challenge

The team had been facing an increasing caseload, but their technology couldn’t keep up. They had to rely on connecting to a patient’s domestic Wi-Fi to access their files, or tether their phones to create a mobile hotspot. Uploading data could be slow and frustrating; waiting to get online meant delays on every subsequent appointment and less leeway for urgent care requests.

Connecting over public Wi-Fi and hotspots also raised concerns over cyber security. Many people felt more comfortable going back to the office to update and download key data. And this was taking up more valuable time.

Accessing up-to-date patient data is critical for care. It means carers go into every appointment with a full understanding of medical history or allergies, so they can make better informed decisions, leading to faster action and reduced clinical risk. This is particularly important when faced with unplanned visits. But the team at Care Plus Group were having to gather whatever information they could over the phone before meeting urgent patients, which meant they were going into critical situations without being as prepared as they would have liked.

The team needed their technology to work harder for them. We had been partnering with the Care Plus Group on their mobile estate, and realised we could help the teams find a new solution that could empower them with fast, secure and reliable access to the information they needed. 

Care Plus Group needed devices suitable for the care industry, that could enable practitioners to update real time information straight into systems, rather than going back into the office
AmandaBT Account Manager

The solution

The three key features that the Care Plus Group team wanted were security; fast access to patient information; and portability. When you’re carrying laptops from place to place, they need to be durable.

Finding the right solution was a collaborative effort. Our specialists knew connected laptops would be the answer. Each one has its own SIM, which allows people to operate securely with no access to public Wi-Fi. They also felt that Samsung Laptops had the flexibility that the team needed for working in such a wide range of situations.

The laptop is light, durable, and has 4G internet connectivity with built-in enterprise-grade security. This protects data, equipment and people, securing information and personal identities, even on lost or stolen devices. There’s no need for staff to carry multiple wires as it has a universal charger and a wide range of I/O ports, making it easy for care workers to expand their workspace wherever they are.

Our specialists approached Samsung, and together they came up with a trial solution that could be rolled out quickly. The team would have three laptops as a pilot programme, with inbuilt EE SIMs. Lasting for three months, the trial would help make sure the configuration of the laptops was right for Care Plus Group, and that the network connectivity was stable.

Our network connections are unrivalled. We offer the largest Wi-Fi network in the UK, with 5 million+ Wi-Fi hotspots, and we invest more than any other UK network provider. We take security very seriously too, with our experts working round the clock to defend against 4,000 cyber attacks each day.

EE has been awarded the UK’s best network for 10 years in a row. It covers 99% of the population and 85% of UK geography, and it’s the first operator to offer 5G coverage to over 50% of the population. All of which means carers have the best chance of getting coverage, even when they’re working in more rural locations.

With the inbuilt EE SIM, carers would have a secure connection to the SystemOne Portal: a clinical system that holds Electronic Patient records.

Practitioners from all pathways, including GPs and community services, can access the system to view and update patient information in real time, which means the team members involved in the trial would have the information they need to make informed clinical decisions in the moment.

The result

The trial has been a success, creating opportunities to test and learn before the solution is rolled out at scale. The Care Plus Group staff chosen for the scheme now have reliable connectivity, security as standard, and reduced clinical risk through data-informed decisions. They can connect to and update live patient records without issue, so they’re fully prepared for every visit – including urgent and unplanned cases. There’s no need to spend time going back and forth to the office, and there are no battles getting online.

Having access to live records also means the team can discuss and prescribe medications for patients on the spot. They can send prescriptions quickly and securely to the local pharmacy, ready for quick fulfilment and collection. That means any medication reaches the patient without delay, delivering a safer and better service. Doing all of this with the patients also means they know what is being documented, helping them feel more informed and part of the care process.

A better experience for front-line staff, and happier patients, leads to a more motivated and productive workforce. That’s why the team at Care Plus Group are now working with BT and Samsung experts to roll the connected laptops out to all service members. 

The Samsung connected laptop has not just enabled me to be more proficient at my job, it’s enabled the patient to get quicker and more responsive care. So that’s either me having that information directly at hand or contacting other pathways to ensure that it’s done as quickly as possible. It’s a better experience for the patient.
JayneCPG Paramedic

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