We have been supporting this NHS Trust organisation for well over 10 years, with a range of projects and services delivered during that time, ranging from the physical storage and management of over 2.5 million records to the scanning and delivery of electronic images.
We provided active ‘live’ file management services with a 2-hour delivery if needed and deep storage services, for inactive documents, with electronic delivery of required.
The challenge
Recently, the client needed to remove thousands of files from one of their sites, as the space was to be utilised to treat patients rather than store documents. This was not just about patient records but, also involved the Corporate and HR departments. Understandably, as with medical records, there was a high degree of confidentiality needed, but the need to ensure security was significantly enhanced due to the HR records also.
The project was more complex than a patient record transfer, driven by the needs of the various stakeholders and the whole programme needed to be delivered within 12 weeks.
How we helped
Crown met with each of the different key stakeholders and their teams to address their particular needs. These ranged from understanding their need to access information, how that information was to be recorded, online access requirements for each department, and training on how to do that. We had to identify the departments with the most immediate need and to programme the transfer accordingly.
A team of Crown vetted personnel worked on-site creating a full inventory database of files, barcoding them, and placing them into boxes for storage and transfer. Each file was recorded and tracked from point of placement into a box, to arrival at our facilities. At any time in the process, the client’s personnel could identify where a file was, so that if needed they could retrieve that file.
Regular progress meetings were established between Crown’s Project Management team and the various teams at the Trust to provide regular insight into the project’s progress and to update on activity throughout.
A deep storage (remote location) option was established, which offers a lower storage cost than active file management. This was combined with a ‘scan-back’ option for the instant delivery of files. The client did not have an on-line methodology for accessing ‘images’ for their corporate and HR departments, so Crown provided a hosting solution to enable personnel to review the files that they were looking for.
The solution that was delivered offered a scan-back service, with image hosting on Crown’s secure hosting solution. This too was set up and training was provided to enable the clients’ personnel to access the information that they needed within hours. Physical deliveries are available from the remote management centre, but electronic delivery is the preferred method. This option was chosen as it talks to the trusts ability to reduce their storage and access costs and it also addresses some of their sustainability goals, as well as delivering a few steps on the digital journey that the Trust is working through.
Summary
Flexibility was crucial to the success of this project. Crown needed to satisfy several different stakeholders and deliver a variety of solutions to each, to ensure that all parties got what they needed from the project.
We continue to monitor the services and the client is very satisfied with the outputs from the programme.
“This was a complex project involving several teams’ records, such as HR and Corporate, as well as patient files. Crown held many meetings to scope the project to ensure that work was completed most cost-effectively and came in under budget.
Working with a company like Crown that are happy to manage change, add extra resource, or work out of hours to come up with a solution that works for all concerned is invaluable! A huge thanks to Crown!”
Client, NHS Trust
