An innovative project led by a team at East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust was highly commended at the NDL Community Awards, a celebration of public sector teams working towards digital transformation.
The project used Robotic Process Automation to manage referrals from GP’s, which 
originally required staff to manually retrieve and print referral paperwork before appointments. This was time-consuming for staff, reducing the time they had to spend caring for patients, was an expensive process and wasted paper – approximately 83,000 sheets a month.
In a matter of days, the team was able to implement a new automated system which resolved these issues rapidly, managing an average of 15,000 e-referrals per month.
Patient records are then accessible on the clinical portal, allowing clinicians to view the referral letter electronically, rather than relying on a printed copy. They can then be seen well in advance of clinical appointments, enabling for better preparation, prioritising, and patient experience.
The successful project was shortlisted for NDL RPA Project of the Year, and won a donation of £250 for a charity chosen by the team, which was ELHT&Me, the Trust’s official charity. The charity funds projects and initiatives that improve patient and staff environment and experience.
Congratulating the Trust on its RPA Project of the Year commendation, NDL Finance Director Nicola Lister said, “This allows the Trust to process, and see referred patients even more quickly. The system can now manage between 600 and 700 referrals per day which saves around 140,000 sheets of paper per month. 
“The judges felt that this process truly represents the core values of NDL - digital transformation in the public sector for the public good. We were also very impressed with the agility of the Trust to make improvements during this difficult time.”
Sue Elliston, Directorate Manager, Centralised Outpatient and Admin Services said, “Working in collaboration with NDL, this is a fantastic achievement for the whole of the project team and the Trust as we continue to work more digitally. This project was a great first step towards a paperless outpatient appointment and preparation as we implement out electronic patient record later this year."