Moving from non-emergency bleeps and long-range pagers to a hospital-wide, EHR-integrated secure messaging system: an implementer report

Abstract

Introduction Obsolete bleep/long-range pager equipment remains firmly embedded in the National Health Service (NHS). Objective To introduce a secure, chart-integrated messaging system (Epic Secure Chat) in a large NHS tertiary referral centre to replace non-emergency bleeps/long-range pagers. Methods The system was socialised in the months before go-live. Operational readiness was overseen by an implementation group with stakeholder engagement. Cutover was accompanied by a week of Secure Chat and bleeps running in parallel. Results Engagement due to socialisation was high with usage stabilising approximately 3 months after go-live. Contact centre internal call activity fell significantly after go-live. No significant patient safety concerns were reported. Discussion Uptake was excellent with substantial utilisation well before cutover indirectly supporting high levels of engagement. The majority of those who previously carried bleeps were content to use personal devices for messaging because of user convenience after reassurance about privacy. Conclusion An integrated secure messaging system can replace non-emergency bleeps with beneficial impact on service.