Pictured from left to right with Ergotron's Styleview Laptop Cart: Chryzelle Gelaspi (Junior IT support officer), Dean Grinham (Operational director of IT Services) and Helen Gyves (Lead nurse for clinical IT) from University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust. Credit Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust
University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust awards Ergotron £2 million contract for ergonomic equipment
Global manufacturer of kinetic work environments to supply new mobile computer and laptop carts to four Midland-based UHB-operated hospitals
Ergotron, a global movement company focused on designing and manufacturing kinetic work environments, today announced that it will supply new mobile computer and laptop cart equipment to Heartlands, Good Hope, Queen Elizabeth and Solihull hospitals, all managed by the University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust (UHB). The announcement follows an investment of £2 million by UHB as part of its ongoing commitment to digital transformation across all sites, which will support clinical teams in delivering high quality patient-centred care using a single patient record.
UHB’s Global Digital Exemplar (GDE) status has paved the way for this investment, unlocking funding to help progress projects to improve the quality of patient care through the use of digital technologies and information. Part of NHS England’s GDE programme, ‘Exemplar’ status recognises the Trust’s digital maturity at an international level, providing a platform to share learning and experiences with other NHS Trusts.
Ergotron’s medical carts and mobile workstations will support teams in accessing key clinical systems and vital information at patients’ bedsides. Known as Carts on Wheels (COWS) and Laptops on Wheels (LOWS) amongst the medical and IT departments, the equipment, which includes approximately 800 units, will support the work environment in streamlining processes and improving patient care.
Paul Zuidema, MD at Ergotron in EMEA, said: “This contract is the culmination of a relationship spanning four years of collaboration, during which time we worked closely with UHB to understand the requirements of the Trust’s ward colleagues to ensure we’re providing designed-for-purpose equipment for specific areas and workflows.
“Ergotron’s workstations on wheels enable doctors and nurses to, via a computer or laptop, access key patient information directly at the point of care. This allows data capture and recall in real time, which helps save time, support improved workflow, and enable medical teams to work more comfortably with technology.”
Helen Gyves, Lead Nurse for Clinical IT, said: “The new equipment is the result of close co-operation over the past year between Ergotron, our IT department, and a number of individuals and teams on our hospitals’ wards.
“This investment is extremely important as not only does it give clinicians on the wards easy to use, mobile equipment, it also lays the foundations for the implementation of world-class digital systems that will improve our patient care across the board by driving efficiency, reducing duplication, empowering our patients and supporting joined-up services.”
Ergotron will begin deployment of the new equipment throughout the four hospitals from April.
