Manchester-based tech firm, Purple, has launched a new app aimed at helping the NHS reduce the £300m of medicine wasted every year and speed up operation waiting times.
It is estimated that nurses spend at least one hour of every shift searching for critical pieces of equipment and medication.
Purple’s ‘Intelligent Healthcare’ app technology has been created to help increase efficiency, reduce costs and improve patient experience for healthcare organisations in the UK and USA.
The industry-first app serves as an asset tracking and navigation tool enabling healthcare workers to keep track of hospital assets through an interactive map.
The app’s integrated wayfinding hardware then enables them to navigate towards those assets as required.
The ground-breaking technology ensures all equipment is traceable and easily findable, thereby reducing time to task, and increasing time for patient care.
It also enables incidents to be reported by staff and patients in real time, ensuring potential safety risks are eliminated as quickly as possible.
Gavin Wheeldon, chief executive of Purple, said: “This technology will create a new standard for how hospitals should be run, enabling critical assets to be tracked and located in a quick and easy way.
“Using the app will eliminate wasted time, lost drugs and apparatus and reduce safety risks. Operations are less likely to be postponed due to lack of equipment and fewer patients will be without necessary medicines due to loss or theft.
“As a result, nurses will be far better equipped to deliver the care patients need and the patient is more likely to have a positive experience.
“The NHS is under greater pressure than ever before, with performance data reporting a clear picture of rising costs, longer waiting times and staff shortages. This technology will help address many of these challenges, setting a precedent for a new way of working within the hospital environment.”
Backed by Sir Terry Leahy, former CEO of Tesco, Purple was established in 2012 and embarked upon a rapid growth trajectory in 2015.
Its technology enables venues across sectors including travel, healthcare, retail and hospitality to enhance the visitor experience, optimise safety and ultimately drive revenue.