E-Sign, the secure digital document company, has partnered with Icelandic tech firm Thula to help the NHS digitally revolutionise the management of controlled drugs.
The partnership will see E-Sign’s advanced electronic signature solution integrated into Thula’s ALFA controlled drug module to provide a closed-loop and fully paperless solution for the management of controlled drugs in the NHS, that ensures compliance with UK legislation and elevates governance when managing controlled drugs.
Collectively, the solution will:
- Completely eliminate paper-based registers,
- Digitise prescription management and ward orders,
- Resolve and detect discrepancies effectively,
• Improve workflows, increasing Care Hours per Patient Day (CHPPD), - Provide a control tower overview of all aspects of controlled drug management.
The system is expected to be implemented later this year, leading to dramatic time and efficiency gains for both patients and the NHS.
The user engagement testing program is underway, which will collect data on the benefits of the new system – from the time savings for Hospitals and Pharmacies to manage controlled drugs, through to the cost, supporting the NHS Net Zero sustainability agenda and the environmental impact of removing paper-based processes.
Thula chose E-Sign because they are an advanced electronic signature technology, with their data being held securely in the UK – a requirement for the NHS under UK law.
Adele McAllister, Thula Country Manager UK said: “We are very proud and thrilled to be working with the E-Sign team, creating a truly digital and revolutionizing management tool for controlled drugs in a post-pandemic world. Alfa is an integration hub that is technology agnostic and provides complete and closed-loop management of medicine stock. The benefits to the clinical and pharmacy teams are huge and drive greater legislative and regulatory confidence and safer and efficient patient care.”
The partnership comes amid a period of rapid growth for the Liverpool-based tech company, as ever-greater numbers of public bodies and companies move away from inefficient paper, printing and posting habits in favour of digital systems that boost efficiency, security, and service quality.
Thomas Taylor, Managing Director of E-Sign said: “We are hugely excited to be working with Thula on such a significant project to help the NHS build a solid digital infrastructure that frees up resources, lightens the load on the environment, and boosts the quality of services that patients receive.”