Cohort 3

Will Verling

  • Consultant Paediatrician
  • Dorset County Hospital Foundation Trust
  • 2022

In my 12 months as a Topol Digital Fellow I will develop and deliver an app to allow patients and parents to be more involved and in control of their inpatient experience.

Improving patient experience through an app

My Topol fellowship problem / project:

A common theme in feedback from people who have required inpatient admission, is the sense of feeling a passive recipient of care and a sense of powerlessness, not being entirely sure of who is in charge of care, and what the care plans are.

I am aiming to develop and implement an app which will allow parents and children manage their time  on the  ward during an admission. The app aims to be a one stop resource to include: interactive/guided map of the ward and wider hospital, menu ordering, car parking, updated ward information including  name  and image profile of ward staff on shift, ward round plans, multimedia information about procedures and parent information sheets, ability to give feedback, request a clinical review, as well  as  open access passes. I hope this will allow the parent and child to feel more empowered and in control of their time on the ward.

I currently work as a paediatric consultant at Dorset County Hospital. I cover acute and general paediatrics with a special interest in respiratory paediatrics.

Over my time as a consultant I have developed an interest in digital approaches to improve clinical service delivery. Pre- pandemic I was the first in Dorset to use video consultation, I have driven the adoption of outpatient electronic prescribing, and have worked with the digital team to introduce secure patient facing image upload capability. I am passionate about using technology to improve the working lives of staff and empower patients.