Public Sector Roundup: Cancer unit goes virtual

Belfast oncology unit gets virtual

Belfast City Hospital's Oncology Centre has used virtualisation technology to keep its key IT systems running all the time. Consultants need to be able to access patient records and diagnostics 24 hours a day - and therefore required their systems to be updateable in real-time.

The centre's services provider Real Time Systems recommended virtualisation firm Marathon Technologies. Their dual server IT system ensures no downtime and protects against disasters.

Philip Leighton, Senior Systems Specialist, Belfast City Hospital, said: "It was paramount to us that all the information on patients, their diagnosis and progress could be accessed from any of the cancer units throughout Northern Ireland. In that respect, the system plays a key role in the advancement of cancer treatment in the region."

The Marathon system will eventually be rolled out across all the hospitals areas.

Social work software praised

West Lothian Council has become the first in Scotland to receive an excellent rating from the Social Work Inspection Agency (SWIA), largely because of new software and IT, the council said.

The council's eCare system ensures there's just one record for each individual across the system. Supported by VisionWare's information sharing framework, this ensures all data held is accurate and up-to-date - helping support frontline care workers.

David Robertson, the council's senior responsible officer for eCare: "From the very beginning, West Lothian Council's eCare programme has focused on the importance of technology in delivering joined-up working initiatives. It is very clear to us that there is still so much more we can do with the use of technology, and it is reassuring to know that VisionWare's solutions will grow with us as we expand our programmes".

Cardiff uses email for ASBO reporting

Cardiff's non-emergency reporting team - dial 101 rather than 999 - has introduced new ways to report issues to them.

Rather than just phoning in, citizens can make reports online and follow up with emailed photographs of the complaint whatever it may be, including graffiti and vandalism.

Chief Superintendent Josh Jones: "With the introduction of 101, we are gathering community intelligence at a rate we have never experienced before, and I am sure that this new capability to capture photographs linked to incidents will see us achieve even greater results."

He added: "The new way in which we are managing the information that Cardiff communities are providing us with, through 101 and the new tasking unit for example, means that we are in an even better position to tackle grass root problems throughout the city; incidents which we know if left to fester will lead onto greater issues for all."

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