Luton and Dunstable Hospitals install unified communications system

6 February 2014

Luton & Dunstable University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust has signed a five-year agreement with Unify, formerly Siemens Enterprise Communications, to provide a unified communications suite. The systems include web collaboration, mobile conferencing and presence technology, rapid-response alarm capabilities and a range of other productivity tools.

Following implementation, staff will be contactable at any location through a single number, greatly increasing efficiency by removing barriers to connectivity that was previously in place from the multiple devices used. This benefit extends to patients and other callers who may wish to speak with a specific clinician – these calls and queries can now be quickly forwarded to the correct person or message box.

Unify’s OpenScape UC presence technology will allow staff to identify which members of a department are available to handle an incoming request, and intelligently route calls to these members of staff.

In addition, mobile collaboration and response is achieved seamlessly and securely via an Office Mobility suite, which enables employees to stay connected and update their presence regardless of device. Alarm Response software will compliment this system, and be used to bring critical information to the right people, instantaneously via multiple devices to help them handle any emergency situation.

Mark England, Director of IM&T at the Luton & Dunstable Hospital NHS Foundation Trust says: “The way in which we want and expect communications to work has moved on a long way since our current TDM system was installed. Using unified communications and IP telephony technologies, we expect to lower our operating costs and increase the overall efficiency of the Trust. Ultimately, this means we can deliver a superior service to our patients, which remains our overriding objective for all the Trust’s investments.”

Harry Wood