The UK Department of Health recently set out the next stage in the National Health Service,s (NHS) journey of improvements - a drive to high quality care for all. At the heart of this goal is the provision of information and choice for patients, staff and the public as well as a need to work in partnership, often across organisational boundaries.
Information and Communications Technology (ICT) is integral to delivering secure access to information at the point of need as well as supporting the environment needed for successful partner collaboration.
In 2001, in conjunction with the former NHS Information Authority, Cisco launched its E-Business Compliant Network (ECN) study recommendations for the Acute, Community and Mental Health Sectors. ECN provided a methodology for linking ICT investment to real business priorities.
In response to customer demand, in 2008, Cisco refreshed its recommendations with the launch of the Cisco Network Architecture Blueprint for the NHS (C-NAB). C-NAB provides a series of recommendations to help NHS organisations prepare themselves to meet the challenges of 21st century healthcare.
*New*
Interested in Polyclinics?
Click here to download the latest C-NAB Annexe on Neighbourhood Health Centres.
Architectural Approach
Enterprise Architectures (EA) has been adopted at a national level in the NHS. There is however a gap to be filled at the local level in aligning business strategy with ICT, and it is imperative that, if the NHS is to succeed in its goals, then infrastructure at a Trust level is not ignored.
C-NAB introduces the use of a Conceptual Architecture to define the overall set of technologies that may be installed in an NHS organisation.
The value of a conceptual architecture is that:
It provides a graphical representation of the available set of technology components and shows their inter-relation.
It offers a representation of an overall programme of work to implement architecture, with the prospect of prioritising individual projects to meet local business needs.
It provides a framework that permits individual user or service contexts to be mapped.
The Cisco Technical Reference Model (TRM) for the NHS is defined, based on a conceptual architecture consisting of five layers. Having established the TRM, the re-usable services required in the infrastructure to support the business can be determined.
Transport - reference templates for Acute and Primary Care and Mental Health.
Data Centre - infrastructure solutions to optimise performance across a WAN, consolidation and Business Continuance.
Unified Communications - advanced network considerations, call control, integrated video, presence, collaboration, patient and customer contact and N3 Voice.
Mobility - benefits of centralised Wireless, location services, voice over Wireless, security and guest access.
Security - introducing the Self Defending Network and security solutions for endpoints; the network; content; applications and policy management and reporting.
Virtualisation - inside the Data Centre and in other areas.
Management - manage, monitor and react to events.
Community of Interest Networks
- COLLAPSE
By taking a collaborative approach across the health community via COINs - C-NAB outlines the benefits including:
Cost savings and increased performance through rationalising connectivity to N3.
Easier management of content filtering and caching.
Potential rationalisation of local IT services.
Security that can be administered from a single point.
Single community wide directory allowing a single source for information, policy, skills reference and presence information.
Potential for toll free voice calls across the community and integration of video to support remote meetings - offering time and cost savings as well as carbon footprint savings.
Emerging Technologies
+ EXPAND
C-NAB focuses on new technologies beneficial to the NHS including:
Digital Signage - for health promotion, ward status updates, patient and public information etc
Digital Media (Desktop Video) - for executive communications, keeping remote workers engaged or for e-learning solution.
Physical Security - centralised control and visibility of a combined surveillance and access control systems.
TelePresence - offering High Definition video and optimum acoustics for high quality video meetings. In addition, HealthPresence is a concept that integrates network connected medical devices to support remote consultations.
Sustainability
+ EXPAND
The NHS carbon reduction targets highlight the benefit that technology can bring to sustainability issues such as:
Unified Communications, Collaboration and Mobility technologies that allow staff members to optimise and reduce their levels of travel.
Connected Real Estate technologies that optimise the management of hospital, clinic and office buildings to reduce energy usage to a minimum.
Data Centre virtualisation technologies that permit Data Centres and server rooms to be designed and built to minimise energy usage.
Information Security in Healthcare
Information security is a business concern for all organisations. In healthcare, that concern is magnified by the responsibility of securing person identifiable data (PID) as well as maintaining public trust in IT systems. With security threats increasing in number and sophistication, it is important to uphold protection, control and visibility over entire networks.
The Cisco Self Defending Network is a systems approach that enables security to be tightly integrated into the network.
Cisco Assistant
Call Cisco on 0800 0153003 (UK)
or 1800 556 670 (Ireland)
