Barts Health NHS Trust creates online ‘end-to-end’ COVID-19 staff testing system with Inform Health

Barts Health NHS Trust has transformed COVID-19 staff testing by reconfiguring its existing Inform Health sexual health system to create a digitalised method of managing testing programmes for staff and members of their households.

The Inform Health system replaced spreadsheets in late April, following rapid specification, reconfiguration and user acceptance testing.

The Trust is now using Inform Health’s system to facilitate an end-to-end method of managing COVID-19 testing, which includes online appointment booking, use of bar-coded testing kits, lab system integration and automated results notification via text message. This helped the Trust to successfully ramp-up capacity for both PCR and anti-body programmes for its 20,000 strong workforce, in addition to accommodating STP testing.

Since implementation, Barts Health NHS Trust has significantly reduced the administration effort and time taken for a member of staff to book a test and receive their results. As the Inform Health system is web-based, it is now possible for multiple staff to book testing appointments simultaneously in real-time and, because the Trust is no longer reliant on paper printouts at its clinics, tests can be booked for the same day. This helped minimise delays and ensure that staff who test negative are able to return to work sooner.

Additionally, use of the Inform Health platform has supported the Trust to maintain confidentiality over staff records and access real-time data, which makes fulfilling reporting criteria instant and effortless.

Karen Green, Staff Testing Programme Manager at Barts Health NHS Trust, explains: “It was clear that we needed an end-to-end method of effectively and efficiently co-ordinating staff testing. We needed something that was stand-alone, with no restrictions on who we could register. A system that could enable us to move away from Excel and digitalise the process from start to finish.

“Opting to reconfigure the Trust’s existing sexual health system represented the most logical and cost-effective way to achieve these goals. The team at Inform Health understood the urgency of the situation and worked in partnership with us against unprecedented circumstances to revolutionise our staff testing programmes.

“With Inform Health, we were able to bulk upload registrations, benefit from existing integrations with our lab systems to facilitate a faster turn-around of results and effectively manage user access to maintain appropriate data security. Each step in the process has been made simpler and more efficient and the flexibility of the system means that whatever’s around the corner, however demands change, we’ll be in a strong position to respond quickly and effectively.”

Inform Health is continuing to support Barts Health NHS Trust to rapidly evolve to continue to meet the changing needs of COVID staff management and enhance its staff testing programmes.

In less than two weeks from concept to delivery, Inform developed an additional online Lateral Flow Device antigen test system. Staff issued with the new swab self-test devices can go online to record their LFD results.