experience . " We could pull in things like X-rays and blood test results that can be shared with the patient . We could bring in other professionals . For example , when I see a patient following a knee replacement , I might want to bring a physiotherapist into that conversation . In a fertility setting , you might want to bring in a relative ."
Technology has been a huge enabler for relatives and friends to keep in touch with people in hospital while visiting has been restricted . " We bought in a device at a pace that was COVID safe , so it could be passed around from patient to patient and be cleaned in-between ", Walsh says . " Other trusts struggled at the beginning to find how they could do this , and I think at Calderdale we found a solution fairly rapidly that satisfied all our infection control needs ."
As the UK hopefully shifts out of the pandemic , the trust aims to continue its digital journey , focused on interoperability , integration and data sharing , as well as getting people within the organisation to use the systems and technology better . " Moving away from the horrible experience of the disease itself , we need to make sure we don ' t forget the lessons learned ", Walsh says , " and that we don ' t revert back to where we were , and we keep our progress going ." cht . nhs . uk 17