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With the N3 national broadband network from BT, the NHS is cutting carbon while still improving patient care ...
NHS + N3 = Sustainability
The NHS is the largest UK public sector climate change contributor, generating 18 million tonnes of CO2 every year. About one fifth of that is transport related, because traditional clinical processes require patients and staff to meet each other. As part of its work with the NHS, BT has built a nation-wide broadband network – called N3 - that can be used to help modernise the NHS.
Dr. David Pencheon, director of the NHS Sustainable Development Unit, says: “One thing we can do, instead of moving all those people around, is to move information around. That’s where the huge importance of network technology – such as the N3 broadband network provided by BT – is so influential.”
Below are just a few examples of N3 in operation...
The West London Cancer Network
In the past the West London Cancer Network - a group of nine hospitals – used couriers to transfer CD-ROMs containing patient data. Sometimes, clinicians would transport the notes themselves. Now, using N3, the West London Cancer Network’s video conferencing solution enables simultaneous transmission of video images, voice, and data. Using N3, the West London Cancer Network has saved 5,500 hours of consultant time and 10,000 or more hours of general NHS staff time.
The Cornwall & Isles of Scilly Community of Interest Network
BT’s N3 network platform allows the NHS to deliver a wide range of services across the 160 sites that make up the Cornwall community. Using video conferencing technology, this enables staff treating patients at remote clinics to gain access to expert diagnostic opinion from consultants at the heart of the county.
The Kent Cardiovascular Network
Linking local facilities in Kent with main centres of expertise in London, N3 is used to send images instantly up to London where a decision can be made about treatment. In the last year alone nearly 400 angioplasty procedures were safely carried out in Kent. In the past, patients had to travel to London for those procedures. An estimated 30,000 miles of patient travel has been eliminated in the last year alone thanks to N3.
N3 is also the backbone for a number of other NHS services such as:
- Remote Access – By enabling staff to work from home, N3 currently saves around 150,000 days of commuting a year, equivalent to 1,250 tonnes of CO2.
- Electronic Transmission of Prescriptions – N3 enables more than 2,700,000 prescription messages to be transmitted between connected GPs and pharmacists every week. If all repeat prescriptions were made this way, around 70 per cent of paper prescriptions could be removed from the system.
- Picture Archiving and Communications Systems – N3 facilitates access to the one million images that are stored electronically every single day. This gives clinicians and specialists instant access to patient images, making savings on film, transport, and staff costs.
