South Warwickshire University NHS Foundation Trust (SWFT) is proud to announce that it has been shortlisted for the ‘Improving Urgent and Emergency Care’ and the ‘Supporting Elective Recovery’ categories at the HSJ Digital Awards 2025. This recognition highlights SWFT’s commitment to pioneering digital innovation to enhance patient care and operational efficiency.
With a record-breaking 432 entries and 205 projects shortlisted, the HSJ Digital Awards celebrate organisations that are using technology to drive transformative change in healthcare and improve patient outcomes.
In the ‘Improving Urgent and Emergency Care’ category, SWFT has been recognised for its groundbreaking work in developing and rolling out the UK’s first fully digital NHS site capacity and flow system. This pioneering initiative, deployed at Warwick Hospital, significantly enhances data accuracy, ensures real-time access to crucial information, and optimises bed management, directly improving patient care and experience.
The innovative Digital Site Capacity Tracker brings a significant enhancement to DIGIT, an in-house software solution designed to support clinical staff in delivering outstanding patient care. By replacing manual administrative processes, the tracker increases the time available for direct patient care, fosters collaboration between the Trust’s Site Office and ward teams, and automates real-time bed management and patient flow processes. The system reduces patient movement and enhances discharge planning, positioning SWFT as a leader in digital transformation within the NHS.
Rachel Williams, Associate Chief Operating Officer at SWFT, said: “We are incredibly proud to be shortlisted for this prestigious award. This recognition is a testament to our teams’ dedication to collaborate with our partners to create innovative digital solutions to improve patient flow and care delivery. Our commitment to continuously enhancing healthcare services for our patients and communities remains at the heart of everything we do.”
In the ‘Supporting Elective Recovery through Digital’ category, the Trust’s Wheelchair service has been recognised for its work with Tucuvi, an organisation that combines Artificial intelligence (AI) and clinical evidence to automate clinical phone calls, to implement an AI virtual assistant (LOLA) to help manage the growing number of referrals for the service.
LOLA, leverages the power of conversational AI, follows a pre-validated clinical protocol, and communicates with patients in a natural way. LOLA’s purpose is to call all patients referred into the service and carry out a screening questionnaire which was previously done by a clinician. LOLA gathers all the information required and sends it to the clinical team who can quickly and efficiently prioritise the patient based on their needs.
The innovative software has increased clinical capacity by reducing the time spent screening referrals, has made the Wheelchair Service referral screening process more consistent and robust, aids the allocation of the correct clinical resource based on patient need, and delivers an improved patient experience through timely triage and outcome management.
Bridgit Vorster-Gibbons, Principal Occupational Therapist at SWFT, said: “We are delighted to be recognised for our work in transforming the referral process through digital innovation. LOLA has been a game changer in allowing us to manage increasing referrals more efficiently while ensuring patients receive the right level of care in a timely manner. By automating screening, our clinicians can focus on providing hands-on support where it’s most needed, ultimately improving patient outcomes.”
These groundbreaking technological advancements were achieved through a strong partnership between the Trust and Innovate, a wholly owned subsidiary of SWFT and George Eliot Hospital NHS Trust. Innovate played a pivotal role in both the development and financial backing of the cutting-edge software and hardware, ensuring that these innovations were seamlessly implemented without impacting on Trust budgets.
The Digital Site Capacity Tracker, which was developed in-house, is continuously evolving with ongoing support from Innovate. Future enhancements include expanding its capabilities to SWFT’s community hospitals, further integrating real-time data analytics, and enabling ISS, SWFT’s domestic service provider, to manage bed cleaning updates directly, improving efficiency and reducing administrative burdens on ward staff.
Phil Johns, Chief Technology Officer at Innovate, said: “At Innovate, we are committed to driving digital transformation in healthcare. Partnering with SWFT to develop the UK’s first fully digital NHS site capacity and flow system and supporting the implementation of LOLA emphasises our dedication to using technology to improve patient care. By harnessing real-time data, we have significantly enhanced operational efficiency, improved patient outcomes, and streamlined care delivery. It is an incredible achievement that these projects have been shortlisted for an HSJ Digital Award and highlight the transformative power of digital innovation in healthcare.”
To celebrate outstanding achievements in digital healthcare innovation, the HSJ Digital Awards 2025 winners will be announced at a prestigious awards ceremony on 26 June 2025.
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