*UKHotViewsExtra* Getting beyond the hype (Part 2) – RPA adoption within the NHS

Second in a series of case studies looking at how RPA is being adopted, today we publish an interview with Darren Atkins, Chief Technology Officer at East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust into how automation is gaining traction within the health service.

RPA at East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust

East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust was created 2 years ago from the merger of Colchester and Ipswich hospitals. Around the same time, CTO Darren Atkins created a new innovation team to look into the merits of automation. Atkins had looked at the automation market some 10 years previous but had been underwhelmed with what was on offer. Recent headlines and controversy of “robots taking over the world” had renewed his interest.

Getting the culture right

Interested in what RPA had to offer, Atkins was keen to start with the organisational culture and setting firm expectations around what automation meant in reality, conscious that he did not want robot technology to appear threatening. The mantra selected for automation in the Trust was “making time matter” – the emphasis being on demonstrating how robots would help clinical and corporate staff free-up time to spend on patients. Whilst there were some secondary benefits, for example increased clinical utilisation and a reduction in outpatients, the primary goal, and measurement of success, was time saved.

The decision was also made to be very open and honest about the technology and not hide the robots away. Robots have their own identity on all the Trust’s different systems and are fully engaged with the security and information governance teams, ensuring that there is full control and compliance over the work undertaken.

Subscribers to our HotViewsPremium service can read the interview here: *UKHotViewsExtra* Getting beyond the hype (Part 2) – RPA adoption within the NHS.

If you are not yet a TechSectorViews subscriber, please contact Deb Seth to find out how you can access this research.

Posted by: Marc Hardwick at 11:46

Tags: RPA  

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