Portsmouth Hospitals team shortlisted in HSJ Digital Awards

The Digital Team from Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust (PHU) has been shortlisted for this year’s prestigious HSJ Digital Awards. 

The Clinical Blue Light Application Programme was shortlisted for the Driving Change through AI and Automation Award for its transformative impact on hospital operations and patient care. 

The programme created a solution to identify slow and underperforming systems using AI and automation. By monitoring clinical applications 24/7 and presenting data on a live dashboard, the hospital’s Digital Team are now able to identify, address and resolve problems before they impact patient care. 

The unique project has significantly reduced system downtime and ensured the Trust can respond quickly to issues, enabling staff to continue caring for patients without delay. 

Josh Clift, Chief Digital Officer (Acting), said: “Our clinicians rely on critical blue light systems and our team committed to creating better tooling to raise an alert when applications were not working reliably. Automation technology allowed us to create an efficient solution to monitoring the performance of our systems and ultimately ensure that we are providing the best care for our patients. 

“Our hope and intention is to share our programme and learnings with our local partners and the wider system to ensure patients are receiving care in a way that best meets their needs. We are really proud of the work and to be recognised with this shortlisting.” 

In the first 12 months of the programme, the Trust reported 279 minor incidents and six critical incidents which were all resolved within 15 minutes. These incidents were picked up both during and outside of working hours, allowing the team to promptly address and ensure that performance levels were maintained. 

The Driving Change through AI and Automation Award recognises those looking to harness automation and AI to create positive change in the delivery or planning of care. 

The winner will be announced at the HSJ Digital Awards ceremony on 26 June 2025.