Home Oxygen Order Forms: NHS Robotics
Automation Details at a Glance
Service
Cardiac And Respiratory Specialist Service (CARSS)
Process Type
Referral
Robot Reliability
98%
Hours released (AWH)
1520 Hours Per Year
The Robot Went Live In
April 2024
Software The Robot Uses
MS Outlook, MS Excel and RiO
The Robot's Name Is
Puffer
Time To Deliver
8 Weeks - sized: medium
Pre-Robot Manual Process
The Cardiac and Respiratory Specialist Service (CARSS) supports patients recovering from acute heart events, including an oxygen prescription service. Home Oxygen Order forms (HOOFs) are for patients who need constant or readily available oxygen, especially those in end-of-life care.
Prescriptions are emailed as PDFs, downloaded, and saved to the desktop. They are checked against an Excel spreadsheet for existing patients. For new patients, basic information is added. The team then logs into Rio to upload documents and add progress notes. Existing patients get their documents uploaded and a progress note added; new patients have a referral opened, document uploaded, CARRS assessment form created, and progress note added.
The CARRS team processed these referrals only when they had time, leading to backlogs of prescriptions often left for weeks. An automated process would be beneficial to service to help ensure timely appointment bookings and allow admin to review and act on invoicing, saving money for the trust and CCG.
Post-Robot Automated Process
The automated process mimics the administrative steps of the CARRS service. A prescription received in the inbox is picked up by robot puffer, processed through an AI model to extract patient info, and stored securely.
The robot then uses the NHS number to check the Services Excel spreadsheet for patient status. It then logs into Rio to verify document upload.
If uploaded, it terminates and notifies via email; otherwise, it uploads the prescription, creates forms and notes, and updates the profile. For existing patients, similar checks and steps are performed. Finally, the robot confirms all steps, files the email, and handles one prescription at a time efficiently.
The process has returned clinical hours to the service by automating administrative tasks, enabling the team to perform other essential duties within the service. The clinical team maintains up-to-date prescriptions, ensuring that the advice provided is accurate and relevant. There is a decrease in overcharge invoices. The backlog of overcharge invoices can now be addressed and recouped efficiently.
Administrative staff satisfaction has improved due to the streamlined process, while clinicians have access to the most current prescription activity information.