Cadwgan Surgery
Cadwgan Surgery, located in Conwy County, is one of the public sector
sites that have benefited from the implementation of a full-fibre network service. The surgery has 10 registered GPs and 3 GP trainees in the practice and serves over 12,000 patients in the local area. As a vital part of the health care sector for Conwy, the surgery gained a secure network with reliable connectivity to ensure staff members can continue to serve the public efficiently. This was especially helpful in adapting to challenges throughout the coronavirus pandemic.
In urgent need of better connectivity
Prior to the LFFN installation, staff were experiencing a number of network issues that caused disruption and frustration. Dealing with the slow speeds that were available to the surgery resulted in wasted clinical and admin time, difficulties with remote working and decreased productivity.
Cadwgan Surgery was in urgent need of better connectivity to support new ways of communicating between residents, staff members and hospitals. Thankfully, the NWEAB’s proactive approach to digital connectivity meant that the surgery had suitable connectivity to overcome some of the challenges presented. The coronavirus pandemic greatly increased the need for better digital connectivity between residents and healthcare services.
Senior partner, Dr Dylan Parry, has worked at the surgery for more than 20 years and found the previous connectivity challenges hugely disruptive.
“We have 12,000 patients, so trying to work digitally with such a large volume of work was difficult,” said Dr Parry.
We had issues with software, a limited browsing experience and other problems that wasted clinical and administrative time, as well as decreasing productivity and leading to frustrations with remote working. We were wasting a lot of clinical time due to the slower connection speeds that were available. It was taking somewhere up to a minute at times to file a single letter. Typically, we might read anywhere between 40 and 50 hospital letters a day, each. If you’re wasting a minute filing each one of those due to slow technology, it’s actually time lost doing clinical work during your working day.”
PSBA connected Cadwgan Surgery to the latest fibre broadband through the LFFN programme, to overcome connectivity issues and future proof the network.
Reliable and fast broadband
Being connected to reliable and fast broadband allowed Cadwgan Surgery to use new, innovative software and apps, giving them a quicker and improved software browsing experience, relevant to their patient care. Enhanced connectivity allows staff to upload images from patients instantaneously, make proper use of video consultations and access their systems remotely.
The new fast and reliable broadband helped improve patient care as well as boosting staff wellbeing and productivity.
“When connection speeds are slow, you get downhearted because everything takes forever. Now that things are faster, it’s given us
a renewed sense of enthusiasm. The productivity and enthusiasm has come back. I regularly speak to GPs who are frustratedwith their connection speeds and can’t wait to have this done, especially in some of the more rural areas,” added Dr Parry.
Moving forward
The coronavirus pandemic has greatly increased the need for enhanced digital connectivity between the public and healthcare services. LFFN will put health boards in a stronger, more agile position to manage future challenges.
