What is LocANTS
LocANTS started as an idea to transform the way PaNDR (previously ANTS) operates in order to make it more efficient. It gradually grew up as a program to leverage the best in modern communication and automation technology to improve the efficiency of the team that is handling an ever-increasing work load with limited increase in resources.
Why LocANTS
Technological improvement remains a constant need in neonatal transport. PANDR (prev. ANTS) is responsible for a large geographical area (6 counties, 10% of UK landmass) with a large population density (> 6.168 million people, > 68,000 deliveries/year). Many neonatal transfer services in UK find it challenging to meet nationally agreed key performance indicator (KPI) of mobilisation of 60 min for time critical transfers. Time taken to complete the clinical referral, collating and checking all resources including drugs, vehicle and availability of teams are the main contributory factors for this delay. To improve the efficiency of transport services we are developing LocANTS.
What have we achieved
LocANTS is still very much in infancy. However, we have already won significant appreciation for this initiative.
We have won the MedTech Accelerator Award 2019. As part of this award, MedTech Accelerator provided funds for a live pilot – which is currently in progress – as of July 2020.
The concept behind LocANTS has been presented and published by the Royal College of Paediatric and Child Health (RCPCH) in the Quality Improvement Symposium: Innovating from the Frontline during the RCPCH 2020 Conference.
For a full list of our awards, please visit the awards page.
What have we done
To validate the concept underlying LocANTS, in January 2019, we introduced a manually updated tool (paper/screen) which is revised 08:00 daily to localise much of the available resource information for the day. In the current pilot, we have taken this further and built a functional proof-of-concept one-screen dashboard that brings together all relevant information required for rapid decision making during a time-critical neonatal transfer operation, complete with video conferencing that provides a live hi-definition video feed of the patient during the entire duration of the response. The pilot covers 4 hospitals in the East of England region including ANTS base at Addenbrookes Hospital in Cambridge.
What are we planning further
We are currently planning the next phase of development. This will include building a robust and resilient application that can be used independently in a real time acute care situation. We will also expand the service to other hospitals in the East of England region in this phase. We will also embark on refining the service further by leveraging yet more innovations – particularly looking at network connected devices and artificial intelligence – to bring the next round of efficiency gains.
Ultimately, LocANTS aims to become a sustainable way to constantly improve delivery of critical care advisory and transport services by being the conduit across the worlds of acute healthcare and technology.