UK health tech firm Zesty has launched an online booking solution for acute and community NHS trusts to enable all staff to book COVID-19 antibody tests on their smartphone, laptop or computer in less than 60 seconds.

Supported by online training tutorials, how to guides and videos, a JIRA support helpdesk and team training sessions, the solution is currently enabling thousands of NHS staff antibody testing appointments a week.

Zesty's platform provides an integration layer with a hospital's patient administration system (PAS) and electronic patient record (EPR) and a portal that allows patients to manage their hospital outpatient appointments, read their administrative and clinical correspondence, attend a video-based consultation and store a personal copy of their clinical record.

The online booking system solution has been deployed at Sussex Community foundation trust and is being used for their staff at locations including Brighton, Bognor and Crawley.

WHY IT MATTERS

The COVID-19 pandemic continues to place unprecedented pressures on all staff in terms of carrying out their jobs, often in new environments, with new systems, processes and workflows.

With test kits now being distributed across the NHS and increasing political attention, there is a growing need from hospital trusts and community providers to deploy a fast, secure, online booking solution enabling staff to book a COVID-19 antibody test.

Zesty, a subsidiary of Induction Healthcare Group PLC, has seven years of experience providing online booking solutions for patients, so was able to diversify into booking for staff by building on the foundations already in place.

THE LARGER CONTEXT

Induction Healthcare Group PLC is a health tech company which helps medical professionals deliver better care more efficiently. The group own and operate three platforms – Zesty, Induction and MicroGuide, which are used by the majority of doctors and acute trusts within the NHS.

ON THE RECORD

Richard West, strategic development manager, Sussex Community FT, said: “Zesty created a staff booking solution for us in a matter of days, as a trust we went from thinking about COVID-19 antibody testing to 3,000 online bookings and 2,600 successful staff tests in 10 days. The key benefit for us has been the standalone, non-integrated workflows requiring no IT department time. We have been able to launch the service independently, solely with Zesty’s support.”

Lloyd Price, co-founder of Zesty said: “The main challenges to providing a solution for NHS trusts are how they manage the supply and demand of available COVID-19 antibody test appointments, how they communicate with staff a new service is available, what data they capture at the point of booking, how they create new patient records for staff in the PAS and how they train staff to use a new system.”