Tackling diagnostics staff shortages for Dorset County Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

The challenge

In May 2022, Dorset County Hospital NHS Foundation Trust faced a growing backlog of 300 Holter analysis patients. Waiting times for Holter analysis work had been partly caused by the imbalance of staff able to fit the cardiac monitors and the cardiac physiologists able to analyse and report back on the data recorded. This is often compounded by the sheer scale of data collected by the 24 hour/multi day monitoring that requires detailed review, alongside growing demand for cardiac monitoring services in the wider context of an ageing population.

The solution

Xyla, part of Acacium Group, was brought on to support clearing the backlog via a ‘turn on, turn off’ approach where the service could be put on hold and then reactivated depending on demand. By leveraging the virtual platform Spacelab Sentinel software and its remote data transfer functionality, Xyla’s teams were able to analyse and report back data to the Trust efficiently.

Patient data was sent over in batches of 50 a week with the aim of cutting the backlog in six weeks. Xyla would push back the reports to the trust at the end of the working week but any results that required urgent actions would be raised as soon as they were found.

To ensure proper patient safety and governance, data security was kept a high priority throughout the delivery of this service. Xyla staff were only able to access patient data when it had been pushed through by the Trust and all communications were made across ‘NHS.net’ email addresses.

The outcomes

The service successfully cleared the original backlog of 300 holter analysis patients and continued to process 30 further patients a week until the service ended in July 2024. These results are indicative of the effective working relationship between Xyla and NHS staff where clear and purposeful communication was imperative for the service to run smoothly.

Xyla has been a fantastic partner in managing our Holter Analysis backlog. The setup was easy, with consistent report turnaround and effective triage of urgent results. Their support has been exceptional, always friendly and adaptable to our NHS department’s needs. I highly recommend Xyla for Holter analysis support.

Highly Specialised Cardiac Physiologist

Get in touch

To find out how we can support you, please contact:

Nicole Fadden, Head of Clinical Operations (Cardiology)

T +44 (0)207 713 2756

nicole.fadden@xylaservices.com