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I would have no hesitation in recommending Dakota to other trusts rolling out PPI in view of their know how, industry expertise & creativity

Lisa Carr, IM&T Project Manager, University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust

I would recommend Dakota Integrated Solutions for their expertise to help any NHS Trust solve the issues they are likely to face in delivering wristband printing & mobility solutions.

Peter Aspinall, Head of IM&T, Lancashire Teaching Hospital

Patient Safety

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Patient Safety & Infection Control are right at the top of the NHS list of priorities when it comes to deploying new technologies, Dakota can assist in providing premier solutions with “best of breed” products that fit the bill. Additionally, Dakota’s key differentiator is the ability to offer a total solution to NHS customers rather than have to deal with numerous suppliers across multiple disciplines such as system integration, print, scanning & software.

We have also developed our SoloMed product (see above right) which steps in when, crucially, your PAS system may not be available but you still have to conform with NPSA guidelines on printed wristbands & Patient Safety (see above centre). SoloMed is a contingency piece of stand alone software that can be loaded on to PC’s & remains totally indepedent from the hospital PAS system.

Wristband Format

Occasionally dismissed in the roll out of printed wristbands is the actual formatting of the wristbands themselves. Crucially, this is a task Dakota has fulfilled on numerous occasions for countless trusts that have either deployed printed wristbands or are about to. We can tailor requirements to the specific needs of the trusts whilst still complying with NPSA guidelines. A sample wristband format is shown above left, please note that the recommended barcode technology is 2D DataMatrix as per GS1 guidelines.

Infection control

Infection control is top priority within the NHS to meet Department of Health guidelines on preventing cross contamination. With this in mind Dakota IS recommends the use of hardware, wristbands & peripherals that have been manufactured with properties that aid infection control & hospital cleaning regimes. The following products have been specifically developed to aid infection control:

  • 2D barcode scanners from Honeywell. Cordless & tethered interface options for increased flexibility including wireless scanning & use with Computers on Wheels(CoWs).
  • Zebra wristbands – wristbands manufactured with special antimicrobial properties that fight the cross contamination of infection.
  • SoMo 650Rx – Mobile PDA with healthcare plastics to aid hospital cleaning regimes. Applications would include iBleep & bedside attendance as part of the Order Comms process.