Uxplore Supports Leamington Business To Develop Game-Changing Technology Set To Advance Digital Healthcare Across The UK And internationally Using 5G

Everyware Ltd has been helping businesses in the UK and Europe to digitally track and remotely monitor critical or high-value assets and products since 2015.

The Leamington-based company has vast experience of working with different sectors to help resolve tracking and monitoring its customer assets. Everyware’s specialist software helps identify problems with its customers’ assets using connected devices to reduce the time and effort spent to monitor them through remote digital connectivity.

One example is their work with the South Warwickshire NHS Foundation Trust where nurses periodically check the temperature of ward fridges and chilled pharmaceutical storage units to ensure the desired temperature is maintained for the drugs administered to patients.

Everyware worked with the Trust over several years to develop an innovative Smart Hub to alert ward staff immediately about any changes to the temperatures by collecting data from the sensors, instead of it being noticed when it was recorded manually. This brought speed to the operational process, allowing greater efficiency for nurses and more time focused on patient care.

This solution from Everyware was particularly important to monitor the critical temperature-sensitive Covid-19 vaccines which had to be stored in controlled temperature fridges with no room for error.

The Challenge

Everyware has implemented an advanced technology solution, supported by uxplore, to track and monitor specific items of medical devices which are deployed to provide pain relief to end-of-life patients in the community.

Medical equipment and devices are often required in the community for remote patient care. Such equipment is distributed from and to other hospitals across the UK every day – and it is important for the NHS to record and assign where each item is located.

Everyware has worked closely with the NHS in Warwickshire to develop a digital solution that promotes enhanced communication between healthcare professionals who provide support to end-of-life patients in the community.

This initiative is particularly important for cancer patients requiring 24/7 syringe drivers for pain relief while on the move. Quite often, equipment gets lost, and traceability is a problem whilst the demand for the devices can be high.

The Solution

This technology solution from Everyware will improve palliative care in the community to allow medicines to be administered by enabling the healthcare providers to digitally track the medical equipment needed to support patients either on the move or at home.

The Everyware technology will help healthcare professionals communicate better and enable staff trying to access the specific medical devices they need information on quickly and easily, when they have to support end-of-life patients in the community.

Not only will it provide greater quality of care outside hospitals, which would be hugely beneficial to patients and the NHS, it would also improve traceability for the high-value equipment.

The business was introduced to uxplore after reading a post about the programme on LinkedIn.

Everyware applied to the uxplore project during the pandemic and, due to not being able to meet in person, the team met account managers from the programme online and completed the application process online, following a series of virtual meetings.

The Result

Everyware was successful in achieving a grant through uxplore, who shared the view that their innovative digital technology idea would prove the capability and capacity which 5G has to offer.

The business is now able to move forward to deliver a range of key programmes that are in the pipeline for the NHS and the healthcare sector, which will now be accelerated further by incorporating 5G.

The benefits of using 5G are manyfold including allowing greater sensor battery life (up to 10 years), interaction between public/private networks, larger quantities of monitored equipment and improved communication security/reliability.

Annette MacDougall, managing director of Everyware, said: “It’s actually a game changer for us to be able to pilot technology that will digitally track medical equipment used to support patients by attaching a specially-designed sensor to the medical devices which are being transported to all corners of the UK.

“The sensors will deliver the data to the healthcare provider quicker and more efficiently via 5G, so there are enhanced benefits for the patient and the NHS trust.

“Working with uxplore, we have been able to demonstrate that using 5G capabilities is important on many levels.

“We could do this using 2G, 3G or 4G, but extending it to 5G is totally transformative because this is equipment which is needed to reach patients as quickly as possible.

“Quite often, these devices can get lost and there is high demand, so we’re excited to be doing this because it has not been done before. Not only will it, most importantly, benefit patients, it will also help the NHS to track and monitor its equipment, which dovetails nicely with the increased focus on digital healthcare solutions.

“We believe our technology mirrors key initiatives outlined in the NHS’s long-term plan published on 7 January 2019. The NHS continue to plan around the importance of technology in the future NHS; by setting out the critical priorities that will support digital transformation and provide a step change in the way the NHS cares for citizens.

“This latest addition to our technology product set allows us to do just that by helping promote further the digital transformation in remote patient care.

“The application process to join the programme was straight-forward and we were supported every step of the way. I would certainly encourage other businesses to contact the uxplore team and apply for a grant because we were supported from start to finish.”

uxplore

uxplore is a digital connectivity project delivered by Coventry University, in conjunction with the wider CU group, in partnership with the Coventry and Warwickshire Local Enterprise Partnership (CWLEP) Growth Hub and the Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce and is part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund.

The programme aims to provide a range of digital connectivity support for businesses in Coventry and Warwickshire with fewer than 250 employees to pilot new products, services, and business models by harnessing broadband, Wi-Fi, 4G and 5G connectivity.

uxplore offers three distinct strands of support:

Connectivity and Frontier Technology Workshop Programme – a two-day workshop to find out more about technology fundamentals and identify potential ways of incorporating cutting-edge technology, such as 5G, into new and existing business models.
5G Grants Programme – 50% match-funded grants to fund projects to develop products, services and processes including prototyping and market research.
New Business Mentoring Programme – support and mentoring provided to businesses less than 12 months old, to develop their business plan and performance and to exploit the latest technologies within their business.

A digital hub is to open in spring 2022 on the Coventry University Technology Park, which will include a state-of-the-art communications infrastructure, co-working space, a technical development area/demonstration space and access to meeting rooms. There will also be specialist mentors on hand to provide technical support.

The project runs until June 2023. For more information, contact uxplore@cwgrowthhub.co.uk

Caption: From the left, Jim Vithanage (CWLEP Growth Hub), Tom Screen (Everyware) and Annette MacDougall (Everyware)