Tangible Impact
Health Tech Enterprise’s independent evaluation of the Medic Bleep system led to significant improvements in hospital communication efficiency at West Suffolk Hospital (WSH). By replacing outdated pagers, the new tool streamlined the interaction between clinical and operational staff, reducing delays in sharing critical information. The evaluation demonstrated clear benefits in both time savings and operational improvements, with key metrics such as release times of discharge medication, length of stay, bed availability, and 30-day readmissions showing measurable progress. The partnership’s success not only enabled the hospital to confidently roll out the system further but also provided valuable insights for optimizing the technology’s functionality and deployment.
The partnership was highly commended at the HSJ Partnership Awards 2020 in the HealthTech Partnership of the Year category. The full evaluation report can be viewed here.
Assessing the Challenge
WSH’s communication infrastructure was heavily reliant on pagers, which were found to be inefficient and suboptimal for modern healthcare needs. The hospital’s ability to coordinate between clinical and operational staff was hampered, leading to delays and errors. In response, Health Innovation East, funded by NHS England, sought out Health Tech Enterprise to evaluate the potential of Medic Bleep—a technology designed to address these communication challenges by improving efficiency and reducing delays.
Tailored Approach
Health Tech Enterprise applied a comprehensive Logic Model methodology to assess Medic Bleep’s impact. By identifying both cash-releasing and time-saving benefits, we developed a robust evaluation framework that included both qualitative and quantitative data collection. Metrics such as time & motion studies in pharmacy and A&E, along with staff surveys and clinical system comparisons, were used to gauge the system’s effectiveness. This thorough, data-driven approach ensured that Medic Bleep’s rollout was not only successful but also informed future iterations and deployments of the technology.
