Poole Hospital NHS Foundation Trust boosts safety, efficiency and creates more time for patient care with new wireless network from Alcatel-Lucent

Paris, July 2008 – Alcatel-Lucent (Euronext Paris and NYSE: ALU) today announced that Poole Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, located in Dorset, England, is deploying an Alcatel-Lucent Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) to help improve patient care at its 789-bed hospital. The new network, to be installed by Alcatel-Lucent Business Partner Khipu Networks, will be used in association with printed patient wristbands to ensure patient safety by automating blood donation tracking and ultimately streamlining the process of dispensing drugs. The new network also improves bedside care by improving knowledge sharing among the clinical staff with secure anytime, anywhere access to patient records and hospital resources.

The new network is based on the Alcatel-Lucent OmniAccess WLAN technology. Poole Hospital opted for the Alcatel-Lucent solution because of its high availability, the ease with which it integrates with the Trust’s existing Network Access Control solution, and its scalability. The initial rollout will provide up to 400 staff with wireless access and is capable of supporting more than 10,000 devices.

The Trust has a unique philosophy in the ‘Poole Approach’, meaning it provides friendly, professional, patient-centred care with dignity and respect for all. With the new network, staff can check medical notes, instantly book x-rays, MRI and CT scans and follow-up appointments, all from the patient’s bedside. Paperwork is greatly reduced, freeing time for clinicians to focus on their patients. In addition to providing core and emergency services to all residents of Poole, the hospital provides specialised medical and cancer care to the wider population of Dorset, so process efficiencies benefit the entire community.

“Wireless is absolutely imperative if we are to deliver the best possible quality of care to our patients,” said Bob Down, IT Manager, Poole Hospital NHS Foundation Trust. “With the new network, our clinical staff can instantly confirm that the right patient is receiving the right blood and the right medication, and these checks can be undertaken anywhere in the hospital - at the bedside, in theatre or on the wards. We can cut down on the paperwork while improving the safety of the services we offer. This is great for both our staff and our patients.”

In 2009, the Trust plans to add voice over IP (VoIP) to the wireless network, which will dramatically reduce the Trust’s telephony costs. Among those tested by Poole Hospital, only the Alcatel-Lucent WLAN could seamlessly support the handover of calls between wireless cells without loss of quality.

“Poole Hospital NHS Foundation Trust’s infrastructure requirements are very exacting. Network failure is simply not an option, and with more wireless applications planned for the near future, there can be no compromise when it comes to security, scalability or availability. With Alcatel‑Lucent, the Trust has found a solution that best meets all of its stringent demands,” said Vil Dhutia, Commercial Consultant, Khipu Networks.

Khipu Networks, which already manages the hospital’s NAC (Network Access Control) solution, won the contract to undertake the new WLAN installation based on the high level of knowledge, support and responsiveness it provided. Post-deployment, Khipu will offer network support, and will be involved in the rollout of new services over the wireless network.

“Poole Hospital is not only eager to comply with best practice guidelines governing patient safety, it has taken the initiative to introduce services that will improve the standard of the medical care it provides,” said David Parker, vice president for Alcatel-Lucent’s enterprise activities for UK & Ireland. “We’re complimented that our wireless technology will play a central role in the delivery of top quality medical services.”

Alcatel-Lucent helps dynamic enterprises like Poole Hospital NHS Foundation Trust interconnect their networks, people, processes and knowledge for competitive advantage through strengthened relationships, simplified communications, and improved performance.