FOI 2024-216 :: East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust

Reference	FOI 2024-216
Description	RPA Processes
Date Requested	25/06/24
Date Replied	24/07/24
Category	Systems Software Robotic Process Automation (RPA)

Request

Here at Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS FT, we have an RPA (Robotic Process Automation) Programme with a small pipeline of ideas. When promoting and speaking to Departments within the Trust we regularly get asked what other Trusts are doing – for ideas and also so we don’t reinvent the wheel where possible.

So we are seeking information from you about your RPA implementations, if you have any, including what automations you have done or are working on at the moment.

(Robotic Process Automation (RPA) is software which can automate manual, computer-based tasks by using virtual workers which mimic the way humans interact with applications on a computer)

Under the provision of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 please can you answer the following questions:

Question	Answer Type / Notes

Do you currently use RPA?	Yes / No
If No, are you planning to?	Yes / No
If Yes, please answer all following questions
What solution(s) do you use?	Please list all in use. e.g. Blue Prism, Automation Anywhere, UiPath, Power Automate
Main RPA Contact within the Organisation	Name, Title and Email address
Are Automations Developed in-house or via external provider, if so whom.	Yes / No / Names of providers

Please Provide the following details for all automations you have (Live, being developed or decommissioned)	Dept/Title/Desc for each process please
Department	E.g. Finance
Title	Invoice Processing
Brief Description	Takes PDF invoices from supplier and adds into Powergate.

Are you intending to expand the use of RPA in future, if so into which areas?	E.g. HR, Outpatients etc
Have you already shared automations with another trust?	Yes / No
If yes, which organisations	Name of Organisation(s)

Are you happy for this to be shared with other NHS Trusts on request (information will not be shared outside the NHS)	Yes / No

Response

Procurement uses the following:

Microsoft Power automate alongside Microsoft Forms for Business Continuity for ordering, Microsoft Excel “Get & Transform” for regular numerous data cleaning tasks e.g. Standard monthly PO exports and Procurement Workplan Savings Tracker.
“Get and Transform” currently uses a minimum of 164 queries for procurement.
In development: Power automate is for the Home delivery stock take held by specific patients for specific services that the department needs to track for stock level.

Question	Answer Type / Notes

Do you currently use RPA?	Yes / No
If No, are you planning to?	N/A
If Yes, please answer all following questions	See below
What solution(s) do you use?	NDL
Main RPA Contact within the Organisation	Assistant Director – Systems Assistant Director – Data Analytics
Are Automations Developed in-house or via external provider, if so whom.	External Provider - NDL

Please Provide the following details for all automations you have (Live, being developed or decommissioned)	ERS Auto upload process to EPR
Department	System Support
Title	ERS Auto upload process to EPR
Brief Description	Uploads ERS referral into our EPR via Winscribe uploader

Are you intending to expand the use of RPA in future, if so into which areas?	Still to be investigated
Have you already shared automations with another trust?	No
If yes, which organisations	N/A

Are you happy for this to be shared with other NHS Trusts on request (information will not be shared outside the NHS)	Yes

Requests for information must be made in writing. Telephone requests cannot be accepted. We accept requests in the form of:

Letter
Email

Send your request to:

Freedom of Information Requests
East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust
Information Governance
Corporate Offices Building
Royal Blackburn Teaching Hospital
Haslingden Road
Blackburn
BB2 3HH

Or email: foi@elht.nhs.uk

You must include your full contact details, stating in what format you would like to receive the information.

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FOI 2024-216

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