In effect, Microsoft Teams has become their virtual war-room. It offers their Executive and clinical teams the power to communicate en-masse, at speed, and to plan and monitor resources minute-by-minute – all remotely and without risk of spreading the virus.

Within just 94 hours, the entire ICU expansion team was enabled on Teams. It has become a vital, centralised, crisis communications & planning tool for over 6,000 clinical and support staff. It is also helping their ICU team communicate securely with the outside world, including other acute trusts, GP surgeries and teams in Social Care.

Because Teams is available on all mobile devices, staff can now stay in constant contact while carrying on critical medical or planning tasks.

Teams has provided the dynamic and agile collaboration and communications tool they needed.

Instead of disparate files and multiple conversations, files are shared, co-authored and structured within Teams. Conversations take place in context and in real time. This makes sure everyone is on-the-same-page, with less room for error. It will help the ICU team achieve key planning and operational tasks over the next few months. These include:

• Ramping up capacity by 700% (from 50 beds to 400)
• Tracking and monitoring vital resources such as beds and life-saving ventilators
• Training staff drafted in from other areas or being re-enlisted from retirement (this is critical to support the influx of patients into critical care.)

This hospital is at the “front-line-of-the-frontline” and has been dealing with cases since the coronavirus first began.  This is an incredible example of what can be achieved in a very short space of time when everyone pulls together. Not only by the incredible teams and staff within the NHS, but by us all.