January 2021
Major IT and software upgrade for NHS Wales path labs

All six NHS Wales pathology labs have had new IT hardware and upgraded software delivering system improvements, increased resilience and easier data management.

Working closely with the supplier Intersystems, the NHS Wales Informatics Service, successfully completed the major upgrade to the national lab system over one weekend in December. Careful planning ensured minimum disruption.

The Welsh LIMS system was introduced in 2013 and is a fundamental part of the modern healthcare IT used to support patient care. The upgrade future-proofs the system until 2025.

With thousands of diagnostic tests processed everyday pathology services play a crucial role in every aspect of patient care and are vital in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.

Approximately 70% of all clinical diagnoses in primary and secondary care rely on the insight and advice from pathologists. Every year the system processes around 30 million test results, all of which can be accessed in seconds. In December alone, WLIMS handled over half a million COVID tests and more than 2.3 million non-COVID tests.

Results from the Welsh LIMS are shared electronically with secondary care doctors through the Welsh Clinical Portal, with GPs through primary care systems, and with numerous specialist care clinical systems.
Vaccine service links with GP practices in Wales
Vaccine data collected on the Welsh Immunisation System (WIS) is now available to GPs via the Primary Care Information Portal (PCIT) and is updated four times a day.
 
Alongside this, training and support is being offered to primary care colleagues across Wales to ensure they are able to use the system correctly. NWIS has provided on-hand support at 16 of the 24 sites with a blend of training on WIS and creating and delivering e-learning modules for vaccinators, including content specifically designed for GPs using WIS.
 
The WIS is currently supporting both the Oxford AstraZeneca and Pfizer/BioNTech vaccines, and is enabled to support any future vaccines that are approved.
 
Individuals will be contacted by their health board or GP practice when they are eligible for a vaccine.  

Social Care and the National Data Resource for Wales
The NDR webinar series continues as we explore the strategy and vision for social care data in Wales and showcase examples where joined up data is already being used to make a real difference.

Join us on Wednesday 24th February 2021 as we take a whistle-stop tour of the strategy and vision for social care data and the National Data Resource (NDR) Programme in Wales.

It's free to register, you can do so on Eventbrite.

NWIS pledges to support recruitment opportunities for veterans

NHS Wales Informatics Service has become the 100th organisation to sign the Step into Health Pledge scheme, which supports members of the armed forces community in seeking employment opportunities within the NHS.

Sarah Brooks, Organisational Development, Culture and Engagement Lead said:

"We recognise the value that serving personnel, veterans and military families can bring to our workforce. Going forward, we will be reviewing our recruitment practices, building a relationship with the Career Transition Partnership (CTP) and developing networks with the Armed Forces community, to promote NWIS as a military friendly Organisation. There will be further announcements and updates in the coming months detailing the work behind this exciting project." 
 
To find out more about the scheme, you can head to the Step into Health website.

NHS Wales Informatics Service | nwisenquiries@wales.nhs.uk