Imperial and Allocate Software collaborate on safer staffing tools
London 3rd May 2022: Imperial College London has signed a deal with Allocate, a rostering software provider, to make available a range of proven patient acuity methodologies through a widely used NICE Endorsed software platform, SafeCare.
Patient acuity refers to the level of care required by patients in hospital. Assessments of patient acuity are widely used to help make evidence-based decisions about staffing levels in hospital wards. The suite of methodologies to be licensed to Allocate were developed to help NHS hospitals manage staffing levels and include the NICE-endorsed Adult Inpatient Ward SNCT (Safer Nursing Care Tool) and the Mental Health Optimal Staffing Tool (MHOST
).
Allocate Software’s SafeCare is safer staffing technology and part of the HealthRoster Optima e-rostering platform used widely throughout the NHS. Together they match the available daily staffing level to patient acuity. It is designed to increase patient safety while maintaining efficiency and helps inform professional judgement based decision making to be taken at various levels of management.
Incorporating the SNCTs and MHOST methodologies into SafeCare combines tools already in common use in the NHS, together with the assurance process, creates a comprehensive new approach aimed at making evidence-based decisions on staffing in a range of adult, paediatric, emergency department and mental health settings. The tools include:
- Adult Inpatient Wards in Acute Hospitals (endorsed by NICE)
- Adult Acute Assessment Units
- Children & Young People’s Inpatient Wards in Acute Hospitals
- Mental Health Optimal Staffing Tool.
- Emergency Department Safer Nursing Care Tool
Combining SafeCare with the Adult Inpatient Ward SNCT which is a NICE-endorsed, evidence-based tool, enables the respective hospital wards to have the right amount of staff per shift based on actual needs of patients.
These methodology tools are currently supplied by Imperial College Innovations Limited, a commercial subsidiary of the College, to a range of customers globally. In future, customers will be able to access the tools through SafeCare or continue to use the tools as provided through Imperial.
Paul Scandrett, Director of Healthcare, Allocate, said: “We are thrilled to have completed this agreement and investment with Imperial College Innovations as the first of its kind in the UK. Individually SafeCare and SNCT have become critical tools to help Trusts managing safer staffing, particularly key as organisations face staffing gaps. We look forward to working together with Imperial College Innovations to help deliver the very best solutions to our customers”.
Manish Patel, Head of NHS Technology Transfer, Imperial College London said: “This is an excellent deal for the NHS and Allocate, allowing for web-based modules of SNCTs and MHOST in SafeCare. The aim for all parties in this venture is to help improve services in healthcare organisations.”
The team from Imperial have also with Allocate, on an independent basis through Imperial Consultants, to conduct quality assurance in ensuring the SNCT and MHOST methodologies are accurately incorporated into SafeCare.
Imperial College Innovations Limited is a company wholly-owned by Imperial College London. It acts on behalf of College in transactions related to intellectual property, manages Imperial intellectual property, and provides related services to select third parties. It incorporates Imperial’s NHS Technology Transfer unit, which works with NHS trusts across London to provide technology transfer services.
You can read the new item here (https://www.imperial.ac.uk/news/236036/imperial-allocate-software-collaborate-safer-staffing/
For more information:
Liz Jones
CMO – International
Allocate Software (part of RLDatix)
[email protected]
