University Hospitals of Derby and Burton NHS Foundation Trust (UHDB) has partnered with Cinos to update its unified communications (UC) platform. The move aims to unify the user experience across all sites, facilitate easy access for staff, and support the implementation of hybrid working practices. The new cloud-based telephony service will enhance the Trust’s communication efficiency, integrate with Microsoft Teams and ensure a resilient service, even during local outages. The rollout has begun at the Royal Derby Hospital, with the goal to encompass the entire Trust by year-end.
- UHDB NHS Foundation Trust partners with Cinos to modernise its UC platform, moving from separate telephony systems to a more resilient UC telephony service across its five sites.
- The new Cisco Powered UC telephony service, delivered from the Cinos Cloud, aligns with the NHS Internet First Policy, offering secure and flexible communication solutions to support hybrid working practices.
- The Trust’s investment in a cloud-based platform supports 14,500 staff, including 9000 telephony users, and integrates with Microsoft Teams to facilitate agile and home working.
UHDB Embraces Unified Communications for Hybrid Working
In a progressive move towards enhanced hybrid working, University Hospitals of Derby and Burton NHS Foundation Trust (UHDB) is overhauling its unified communications (UC) platform. This modernisation effort comes as part of a strategic partnership with UC technology supplier Cinos.
Breaking Down Silos, Building Unified Communications
The necessity for this transformative change was born out of the merger between Derby Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and Burton Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust in 2018. This amalgamation led to an expansive organisation spanning five sites, each operating with separate telephony systems. The investment in a more robust and resilient UC telephony service is aimed at unifying the user experience for all staff, fostering seamless collaboration across varied sites and the community.
Driven by Policy, Delivered by Technology
The decision to upgrade the UC platform aligns with the NHS Internet First Policy. The new Cisco Powered sovereign UC telephony service, delivered from the Cinos Cloud, will ensure a secure and reliable service that can adapt to the evolving hybrid working practices. A secure Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) service will also be part of the package, enabling the Trust to predict call costs accurately while future-proofing its telephony infrastructure.
Simon Reynolds, Head of Voice Services at UHDB, emphasises the crucial role of reliable telephony in their operations.
“Telephony is a key service in an acute clinical environment, and we needed to future-proof and maintain the viability of stable telephony platform for our service users and our patients.”
Supporting Agile Workforces
The Trust, serving over a million people in South Derbyshire and East Staffordshire, required a cloud-based platform that could scale services quickly and provide easy access to staff working across its five hospitals, community sites, non-trust community sites and healthcare teams working remotely.
Ensuring Resilience and Integration
The Trust will also benefit from an enhanced switchboard solution, enabling hospital switchboards to support each other. To further ensure resilience, Cinos will deploy an emergency telephone solution at both of the Trust’s acute sites, ensuring key handsets used for emergencies remain operational even during local outages.
Final Thoughts
The collaboration between UHDB and Cinos showcases modernising legacy telephony systems within the healthcare sector. The resilience and scalability offered by a unified communications platform are essential in supporting hybrid working practices and as the project rollout progresses other institutions can track its progress. The future of communication in healthcare in Derby and Burton is clear, unified and resilient.
FAQ
Q: What motivated University Hospitals of Derby and Burton NHS Foundation Trust to modernise its unified communications platform?
A: The Trust needed to future-proof and maintain the viability of a stable telephony platform for its service users and patients, as well as to provide a standardised platform for seamless internal communication across all sites.
Q: How many staff and telephony users does University Hospitals of Derby and Burton NHS Foundation Trust have?
A: The Trust has over 14,500 staff, with around 9000 telephony users.
Q: What type of telephony platform did the Trust choose and why?
A: The Trust opted for a cloud-based telephony platform to provide its agile workforce with the capability of maintaining access and making and receiving calls from any location, without being tied to a busy switchboard service.
Q: How will the new switchboard solution enhance communication within the Trust?
A: The new switchboard solution will enable both hospital switchboards to support each other, providing a robust solution for always-on communication. Additionally, an emergency telephone solution will be deployed at acute sites to ensure key handsets remain operational even during local outages.
Q: What is the timeline for incorporating the entire Trust onto the Unified Communications platform?
A: The roll-out of the project has already begun at Royal Derby Hospital, with plans to incorporate the entire Trust onto the UC platform by the end of the year.
