LIVERPOOL HOSPITAL IMPROVES PATIENT CARE WITH NEW VOICE, DATA AND WIRELESS NETWORK ALCATEL-LUCENT ENTERPRISE PROVIDES RELIABLE NEW INFRASTRUCTURE THAT GUARANTEES HIGH AVAILABILITY FOR MEDICAL DATA, AND ENABLES WIRELESS ACCESS TO PATIENT RECORDS

CHALLENGES• Procure a redundant, highly available network to gain better access to

medical data

• Comply with relevant standards to ensure interoperability with existing

systems, so staff could access data from the entire Hospital

• Ensure scalability to cope with future demands, including bandwidth of up

to 100Gbps

• Enable use of portable devices in all locations with wireless access

SOLUTION• An end-to-end network from Alcatel-Lucent including voice, data

and wireless access

• OmniSwitch 9000, 6400 and 6850 switches give fast access to data

and images

• OmniPCX Enterprise Communication Server, IP Touch 4028 handsets and

OmniTouch 8118 wireless handsets provide easy-to-use VoIP system

BENEFITS• Reliable network has achieved the Hospital’s availability targets, ensuring

users have trouble-free access to data and communications

• Fast network and clear voice communications save time for medical staff

• Doctors and nurses can wirelessly access medical records on their iPads

and other devices at the patient’s bedside, improving patient care and

staff productivity

Liverpool Hospital is undergoing a major redevelopment project to meet the needs of a growing population, and to ensure it can provide up-to-date healthcare services. As part of this project, it needed to procure a new network that would be reliable, enable fast access to high-resolution diagnostic images, and provide wireless access to medical data.

CASE STUDY MARKET: HEALTHCARE COUNTRY: AUSTRALIA

Liverpool HospitalALCATEL-LUCENT ENTERPRISE CASE STUDY

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“ALCATEL-LUCENT WAS COMPETITIVE ON PRICE AND ABLE TO IMPLEMENT THE

NETWORK IN A TIMESCALE THAT WAS ACCEPTABLE TO US. THEY SHOWED A GOOD

UNDERSTANDING OF OUR BUSINESS AND OF THE RFP, AND PROVIDED US WITH A

SOLUTION THAT MET OUR NEEDS. WITH ALCATEL-LUCENT’S SELECTED INTEGRATOR,

WE ALSO FELT CONFIDENT THEY WOULD PROVIDE THE SUPPORT WE REQUIRED.” Nick van Domburg, Chief Information Offi cer, Liverpool Hospital

MEETING THE NEEDS OF A GROWING POPULATION DEMANDED A FAST, HIGHLY RELIABLE NETWORK THAT COULD HANDLE VOICE AND DATA WITHOUT INTERRUPTION

THE CHALLENGESEstablished around 200 years ago, Liverpool Hospital is one of the major hospitals in New South Wales, Australia. Located in the south-west of Sydney, the Hospital provides services for the fastest growing part of the city.

To meet the demands of the increasing population, and to upgradethe services it can provide, the hospital is undergoing an AUS$390mredevelopment project. As part of this project, Liverpool Hospital isbuilding a new wing which will add 45,000m2 of clinical areas. On completion, the Hospital will provide 855 beds, 23 newoperating rooms, 60 ICU/HDU beds, purpose built ambulatory carefacilitates, and extended cancer treatment facilities.

The Hospital’s Chief Information Offi cer, Nick van Domburg, needed a vendor to provide a complete voice and data system for the new wing, to include Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) and wireless connectivity so staff can work on iPads and other mobile devices. “As well as being competitive on cost, we needed a solution that complied with standards, so that the new network could work with existing systems already on site,” explains van Domburg. “We also wanted to have a high level of redundancy and availability for both the data network and for voice, and we wanted technology that was robust and proven.”

Reliability is crucial for the Hospital, with medical staff relying on the network for their key clinical systems, including electronic medical records (EMR) and a picture archiving and communications system (PACS). Van Domburg notes, “We support medical applications on the network, which is why we need high availability and high performance.”

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Liverpool HospitalALCATEL-LUCENT ENTERPRISE CASE STUDY

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THE SOLUTIONThe Hospital issued a Request for Proposals (RFP), and selected a solution from Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise which includes OmniSwitch 9000 core switches, and OmniSwitch 6400 and 6850 LAN switches. Wireless capabilities are provided by OmniAccess 6000 controllers and OmniAccess AP125 access points. The network includes a full IP PABX based on OmniPCX Enterprise Communication Server and 3,500 IP Touch 4028 IP handsets.

“Alcatel-Lucent was able to provide an end-to-end system that included the network and VoIP, and could meet our requirements for wireless,” enthuses van Domburg. “We were looking for high bandwidth and high throughput, so we chose a 10Gbps core infrastructure that’s scalable to 100Gbps or more for the future.”

“Alcatel-Lucent showed a good understanding of our business and of the RFP, and demonstrated a high level of commitment to provide a solution that met our needs. With Alcatel-Lucent’s selected integrator, we also felt confi dent they would provide the support we required.”

According to van Domburg, the installation of the new systems went well: “Alcatel-Lucent were fl exible, which was helpful in coping with the demands of a busy construction site – overall the implementation was very successful!”

THE BENEFITSThe Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise system has proven itself to be reliable in operation, as van Domburg explains: “While we still have a few fl oors to refurbish, the solution has been live for nearly a year, and has achieved our targets for availability, with no signifi cant problems.”

“Good communications systems help people work better – they can hear one another clearly, and they don’t have to deal with dropped calls or wait for calls to be re-established, which maximises their use of time,” says van Domburg. “The reliable network means that staff don’t have to re-transmit fi les, and the system is fast so they don’t have to wait several minutes for large PACS images to load, which all helps them to provide better and faster care for patients.”

The Hospital placed an emphasis on end-user training and documentation from Alcatel-Lucent, to ensure that staff found the change to the new IP phones straightforward.

“We ran training sessions and provided tutorials on our intranet, and acceptance was great,” says van Domburg. “We helped ensure the phones were simple to use by standardising on only two handset models, which helps our staff who move between different wards, and makes using the IP phones easier for temporary and contract staff.”

The new network has added wireless access to data with full coverage throughout the building. This enables medical staff to use Wi-Fi handsets and portable devices to get secure access to medical data from wherever they are, including the EMR system, thus improving staff effi ciency in patient care. The wireless network is also used by computers on wheeled carts in areas such as the Emergency department, speeding up diagnosis and care delivery by providing fast access to all relevant data.

“We’re introducing iPhones and iPads across the network – we provide some devices, and some people bring their own to work,” explains van Domburg.

CUSTOMER SUMMARYCustomer Name: Liverpool Hospital

URL: www.sswahs.nsw.gov.au/liverpool/

Industry: Healthcare

Patients: 855 beds in new wing

Liverpool Hospital is one of the largest hospitals in Sydney, Australia. To meet the needs of a growing population, it is part way through a major redevelopment project. It chose Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise to provide a network for a new wing, including voice, data and wireless.

“OVERALL, ALCATEL-LUCENT HAS BEEN VERY HELPFUL – THEY RECOGNISED

AND UNDERSTOOD OUR REQUIREMENTS AND ADAPTED TO THEM WELL. WITH

THEIR LOCAL INTEGRATORS, THEY MET OUR NEEDS FOR TESTING, SUPPORT AND

DOCUMENTATION.”Nick van Domburg, Chief Information Offi cer, Liverpool Hospital

www.alcatel-lucent.com/enterprise

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“Overall, Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise has been very helpful – they recognised and understood our requirements, and adapted to them well,” says van Domburg. “With their local integrators, they met our needs for testing, support and documentation.”

NEXT STEPSWith the basic network in place and operational, the Hospital has a solid foundation to add new patient services and to extend the scope of wireless data for its staff, enabling them to conveniently access information at patients’ bedsides or anywhere else.

“We’re now looking at what added value we can deliver with this infrastructure in terms of directory services, messaging services and mobility,” says van Domburg. “We’ve kicked off the process of building on our existing system, and Alcatel-Lucent is working with us to add new capabilities.”