ContactCase Study
Bolton Hospitals NHS Trust
We have to make a business case for all our IT procurement, and if it doesn't contribute to improved patient care,
then it doesn't warrant the expenditure. It's hard enough work maintaining multiple different hosts and operating
systems without worrying about complexity of different PCs. We get better maintenance rates than if we used a mix of
different machines. We do come under pressure from users to give them the latest models, but we won't buy a more
powerful machine if we don't really need it. We're led by the business, not by technology.
BRIAN AITKEN,
COMPUTER SERVICES MANAGER,
BOLTON NHS TRUST
Bolton Hospital NHS Trust, serves a catchment area of over 285,000 people in Bolton and surrounding areas. Over the
past seven years, the Trust has progressed from half a dozen to over 1400 PCs, which are helping both medical and
administrative staff offer a better standard of care to patients.
The Challenge
The development of information systems to support clinicians, automating routine tasks and enabling them to spend
more time with patients. Examples are the development of an Intranet for use both within the hospital and throughout the
local community, and the procurement of applications which will draw together the many parts of a patient's health record in
an organised, comprehensive and structured document that will be stored and accessed electronically.
The Solution
After evaluating the IT Market, looking at factors such as performance, availability and costs, Bolton Hospital decided that Elonex
offered the best price-performance. The Trust has installed over 1400 PCs. As well as desktop workstations, Elonex PCs are
used for the Microsoft Exchange server, the firewall and the Web server. They are currently standardising on the award winning
ProSentia 3000 range of desktop PCs.
The Result
In bench-marking tests, the Trust has emerged as a front runner in its ability to make effective use of its IT investment.
The Trust has found that over the years, building up a relationship with a single PC supplier has paid dividends, simplifying
the process of system management and maintenance. But the Elonex PCs that Bolton acquired several years ago are still
going strong, enabling the Trust to get the maximum benefit from its IT investment and offer a high standard of patient care
while keeping control of costs.