Virtual desktops replace office space in London hospitals

800 tablet PCs have been added to wards at the South West London & St George’s Mental Health Trust, to make their departments more efficient.

The upgrade, which began in 2008, was an attempt to reduce travel between different departments but now computers are being fully installed in order to increase productivity and to cut down on unused office space.

The technology is a crucial development for the hospitals, as before it was installed it was laborious and tedious to keep up to date with the 750 inpatients in the five different London boroughs.

Jawad Chaudhry, project manager, said, “The aim with the tablet rollout was to improve clinical care, and we certainly did this.”

“The number of patients seen by staff with tablets increased by 20-30 per cent per week because the staff didn’t need to travel to the office between appointments.”

In a survey of hospital staff 90% said that they found the PCs useful because it meant they no longer needed to go back to their offices.

Dr James Walker, a consultant physician, said, "The new system is saving time on ward rounds and allows doctors, nurse practitioners, pharmacists and staff nurses to have the information they need at their fingertips."

As a result the devices seem to be making the hospitals more organised, which in turn is having a positive impact on patient care. This demonstrates the benefits that virtual desktops can have to administrable organisations, such as the NHS.