A successful trial which saw tracking of equipment across the current rehabilitation unit at City Hospital in Nottingham will now be rolled out at the National Rehabilitation Centre ready for its first patients.
The real time location services technology will be provided by Kontakt.io and will help to enhance staff and patient safety, as well as making it easier for staff to find equipment quickly, from Day 1 of the state-of-the-art NRC opening its doors.
The NRC is a 70-bed, purpose-built rehabilitation centre for people who have experienced a life-changing illness or injury. It is based on the Stanford Hall Rehabilitation Estate near Loughborough, already home to the Defence Medical Rehabilitation Centre (DMRC), and will be staffed and run by Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust when it opens later this year.
Kontakt.io’s innovative technology partnership with the NRC includes:
- Real-time asset tracking – this allows a staff member to look on an app to identify where a piece of equipment is within the building. This real-time visibility of tagged devices in the large building to ensure that the location of critical equipment can be quickly identified, saving NRC staff a substantial amount of time.
- Smart safety badges for staff – these enhance the protection of our staff and patients by sending instant alerts to staff phones with a real-time location, enabling a rapid response in emergency situations.
- Patient location wristbands – to improve patient safety within the vast grounds of the Stanford Hall Rehabilitation Estate, staff will be notified if patients cross a pre-defined boundary, significantly improving absconding response times, thus reducing the risk of harm. Locating patients will also help to keep them on track with their rehabilitation and medicine schedule without impeding their freedom to make full use of the NRC facilities.
Lisa Yates, Senior Commercial Analyst for the NRC, said: “We are pleased to be working with Kontakt.io as a strategic partner in delivering this critical technology.
“This system will not only help us manage resources more effectively but also significantly enhance safety, security, and the experience of our patients and staff.”
The Kontakt.io software will be implemented across the whole NRC site and integrated seamlessly into the existing digital infrastructure.
These innovations align with the NRC’s mission to combine world-class rehabilitation services with cutting-edge digital technologies, future-proofing the facility as demand and complexity grow.
“Our solutions are designed to reimagine healthcare environments by making them safer, more intelligent, and more efficient,” said Philipp von Gilsa, CEO of Kontakt.io. “Partnering with the NRC represents a shared commitment to long-term digital transformation in rehabilitation care, helping to establish the NRC as a national benchmark for innovation.”
Looking ahead, the NRC and Kontakt.io hope to continue to explore new advancements in real-time location services, including predictive analytics to drive smarter operational decision-making. This scalable platform ensures the NRC remains a leader in digitally enabled rehabilitation as it evolves and expands.
