Northgate-is - News Item 742

NORTHGATE SERVICE DESK EASES BLOOD FLOW

New ICT support service assists the processing and delivery of blood products throughout Northern Ireland.

An investment in the latest ‘service desk’ IT support technology is enabling the Northern Ireland Blood Transfusion Service (NIBTS) to more effectively support the collection, testing and distribution of over 70,000 blood donations throughout Northern Ireland.

In addition to its headquarters at Belfast City Hospital Complex; NIBTS operates three mobile units at over 300 locations across the province, and last year collected 70,000 donations.  Working in partnership with Northgate, the need for improved ICT systems support was identified. Northgate’s new service desk infrastructure is helping NIBTS to ensure the smooth processing and delivery of blood supply to those in most need.

Managed by a specialist Northgate team the service desk acts as the first point of contact for NIBTS staff, ensuring IT problems are dealt with quickly and with a minimum amount of disruption.  This support extends to NIBTS servers, PCs and laptops, as well as the provision of remote and telephone support for the mobile blood donor units.

Commenting on the implementation of the service desk, Stephen Brimstone, IM&T Manager with NIBTS said; “The new service desk has had instant impact – our staff can concentrate on the life-saving products and services they provide, while any IT issues are resolved quickly and effectively by Northgate. In real terms this means our staff are free to focus on the core work of providing blood products and services to hospitals.  Any disruption to service is thus minimised – ultimately helping to save lives.”

Mr Brimstone continued; “Northgate’s expertise has been invaluable in implementing the new support systems.  They really took the time to get to know how we worked, our issues and the sensitivities that exist when it comes to the blood product supply chain.  As a result Northgate has put in place a specialist team capable of adding real value to our operation.”

James Turnball, Managing Director of Northgate’s Infrastructure Solutions division stated, “We are delighted to support NIBTS in delivering what in many cases is a life-saving service. We remain dedicated to ensuring that our robust managed and support solutions provide the organisation with the flexibility and enhanced internal support service capabilities required to provide this vital service throughout Northern Ireland.  I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate NIBTS for its work to date and to encourage the public to visit either the NIBTS blood collection unit when it visits their local area or workplace or the walk-in unit which is based at NIBTS HQ Monday to Friday.”