Bolton NHS Trust Foundation is the latest public sector organisation to start using Citrix's virtual desktop cloud apps to modernise its operations.
The trust needed to move from legacy apps onto a platform that offered a mobile solution for physicians who visit patients in their homes to help them diagnose illnesses faster.
It was also important that the solution enabled everyone to access the system, whatever equipment they had with them onsite.
“We wanted to give staff a consistent user experience wherever they were: in the hospital, in community clinics or providing care in patient’s homes," Brett Walmsley, CTO of Bolton NHS Foundation Trust, said.
"This is not just about technology as an enabler. It’s not just about putting in faster machines. The Citrix virtual desktop has changed the way clinicians work.”
Citrix implemented its XenApp and XenDesktop products, enabling medical staff to access their apps and desktops on iGel thin-client terminals if they are situated at trust properties, with a consistent experience on their personal tablet, smartphone or PC at home as well. The single sign-on solution enables them to use their badge on an RFID reader to ensure security is as tight as possible.
This system also has benefits for IT staff, who no longer have to support multiple machines, because the same desktop image appears on every single device clinicians are using. They are also able to centrally manage policies, profiles, security, software upgrades and patch management in the data centre.
“NHS Trusts across the country are under huge pressure to innovate whilst achieving more with less," Jon Cook, director of sales for UK & Ireland at Citrix, said.
"Bolton NHS Foundation Trust is an excellent example of an organisation that has put patient service at the forefront of everything it does. By centralising and securing data and applications, the Trust has in turn empowered clinical staff to deliver faster, more effective service whilst significantly reducing costs.”
