Every NHS healthcare worker throughout Wales will be able to use Microsoft programs, including Teams and Outlook, as part of a new countrywide initiative that focuses on digital transformation.
A list of over 100,000 NHS personnel, including consultants, therapists, GPs, nurses, support staff and paramedics can now utilise Microsoft 365 to discover new methods of sharing information with co-workers in a move to upgrade healthcare for millions of patients in Wales.
Cutting-edge Microsoft technology at hand
Excel, Word, Teams, Outlook, PowerPoint, OneDrive, OneNote and Yammer will be made available for staff on an array of devices – including tablets, laptops and phones – making quick consultations a reality through video conferencing. The initiative is designed to save NHS workers time and money travelling to meetings and grant them more time with patients.
NHS Director of Wales Informatics Service Andrew Griffiths commented:
“Front line staff who work in our health and care services rely on technology to help them deliver services in new, innovative ways that put the needs of patients first. I am very pleased that we are able to deliver the most up to date tools to our NHS Wales staff to help them with the fantastic work they do every day.”
He expressed pleasure that the Informatics Service had been able to deliver the most current tools available to Wales NHS staff members to carry out their work. Griffiths also stressed the importance of a secure system for patients and health staff and stated that the new initiative would help achieve this.
The new agreement entitles the NHS to a Windows 10 E5 upgrade, providing state-of-the-art security features including Advanced Threat Protection (ATP) to detect, prevent, investigate and deliver a response to identified risks. The NHS services in Wales will also always be using the very latest operating system ensuring an increase in cyber-security resilience.
A national plan for digital transformation
This new agreement between the public sector for Wales and Microsoft was brokered through Trustmarque (the licensing partner for NHS Wales and Microsoft). In March this year, Wales became one of the world’s first countries to grant schools in the local authority Microsoft 365.
The government in Wales paid for access to Excel, Word and PowerPoint, among other programs, for 1,521 schools with an aim to boost technology use among pupils and cut costs for headteachers and families.
General Manager at Microsoft UK for the Public Sector, Chris Perkins, said:
“I am delighted to see Wales continue its digital transformation by putting powerful technology in the hands of those who really need it. While today’s announcement will directly affect 100,000 NHS staff, the benefits will also be felt by the millions of people that front line health workers meet and care for.”
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