To support the national screening programme targets, 180 mobile units were deployed across the UK, stationed in urban and rural communities to reach as many women as possible.
The Challenge
Many of the mobile screening units are often required to operate in remote locations which have limited or no data connections. Without broadband access, the screening process must rely on physical copies of scans being sent back to the hospital. This is neither efficient nor secure as postage takes time and can sometimes get lost. It also involves working with static patient information, meaning dynamic changes to patient or staff scheduling can be difficult.
The Solution
Through Avanti Communications’ Ka-band satellite technology, a solution was developed with our expert engineers to provide each screening unit with a fully managed connectivity service. The service delivers a high-speed broadband connection, enabling secure, resilient and cost-effective communication between staff on board the units and radiologists at hospitals and has reduced the risk of clinical data loss.
The Results
During the screening, the unit’s digital technology processes the high definition scan within seconds. The scan is sent over a highly secure network via satellite directly to radiologists for interpretation.
The service has been implemented at a number of NHS and private healthcare units across the UK, addressing each of the programme objectives and demonstrating the use of wider applications, which include editing staff work lists in real-time, sending emails and accessing the internet.
