Martin Cid's Blog: Martin Cid Magazine, page 1048

Discover Shrewsbury’s past in free Heritage Open Days

Shrewsbury Castle

A chance to step back into Shrewsbury’s past and explore amazing places free of charge, as well spaces usually closed to the public, is offered as part of the national Heritage Open Days event between 8th and 11th September.

Visitors can go behind the scenes, scale heights and experience history in an initiative which celebrates the country’s architecture and culture.

Lord Hill’s Column, St John’s Hill, Shrewsbury, SY1 1JJ

Ascend all 172 cantilevered spiral stairs of the tallest Doric column in England to a viewing platform with a panorama of Shrewsbury and the rolling hills of Shropshire. There will be an introduction to the life of General Rowland, Lord Hill before the climbs set off each half hour. The column and statue of Lord Hill are in their bicentennial year as they were completed in 1816, one year after the Battle of Waterloo.

Opening times: Sunday 11th September, noon to 4pm, every half hour. Pre-booking required, call Richard Hayes on 01743 244668 or email l.r.hayes@btinternet.com

Shropshire Archives, Castle Gates, Shrewsbury, SY1 2AQ

Your chance to see behind the scenes at Shropshire Archives including the stores where over five miles of records are housed in environmentally controlled conditions, and the conservation and reprographics sections. A selection of their fantastic collections will also be on show. (Tour not suitable for children under 9 years old).

Opening times: Thursday 8th September: Tour 2pm, Friday 9th September: Tour 2pm. Pre-booking required, call 0345 6789096 or email archives@shropshire.gov.uk

Shrewsbury Castle and Shropshire Regimental Museum, Castle Gates, Shrewsbury, SY1 2AT

A historical interpreter will be on hand in the Shropshire Regimental Museum to teach visitors about the First World War and give them an opportunity to handle some of his uniform and kit.

Laura’s Tower at Shrewsbury Castle will be open for the first and only time this year giving a different perspective of the town.

Open on Sunday 11th September.

As a joint project with St Chad’s Church, there is also a self-guided First World War trail between the museum and the church, highlighting notable locations with a connection to the Great War which will run on Saturday 10th and Sunday 11th September.

Shrewsbury Museum & Art Gallery, The Square, Shrewsbury, Shropshire, SY1 1LH

Explore six galleries in the Victorian Music Hall and 13th century Vaughan Mansion and take in Roman, Medieval, Tudor and Stuart times, plus the Shropshire Gallery and exhibition spaces. Collections on display include a beautiful Roman mirror and some fine Caughley and Coalport china. The Stop café serves lunches and teas and there’s an outdoor courtyard too. The Visitor Information Centre can provide details of other Heritage Open Day attractions nearby.

Opening times: Sunday 11th September: 10am to 5pm.

Shrewsbury Flaxmill Maltings Spring Gardens, Ditherington, Shrewsbury, Shropshire, SY1 2SZ

The Flaxmill Maltings site has three Grade I listed buildings, including the world’s first, third and eighth iron-framed structures. Guided tours will run at regular intervals and there will be interpretation and displays on the history, structure and uses of the buildings.

The new Visitor Centre will be open. Music, an art exhibition, child friendly activities and other entertainment will add to the fun.

Opening times: Saturday 10th September: 10am to 4pm, Sunday 11th September: 10am to 4pm.

Other heritage events in the town include guided walks by St Mary’s Church on Saturday 10th September at 2pm and the Visitor Information Centre on Sunday 11th September at 11.30am, and a lecture on the archaeology of Shrewsbury town centre at Shrewsbury Unitarian Church, High Street, on Friday 9th September at 7pm. You can also pre-book English country dance workshops by dance historian Mistress Love at Shrewsbury Museum & Art Gallery on Sunday 11th September at 11am and 2pm.

For more information find Shrewsbury on Facebook www.facebook.com/originalshrewsbury and Twitter @originalshrews or visit www.originalshrewsbury.co.uk.

The Latest Spark From Rubik’s Cube

New Rubik’s Spark

Rubik’s Brand Ltd has launched its latest addition to its product range with the Rubik’s Spark. The world’s most popular toy and design icon from Rubik’s Cube has puzzled children and adults for over 40 years. Hundreds of millions of people across the world became mesmerised with the toy which quickly became the symbol of the generation.

With a modern twist to the iconic Cube, the Rubik’s Spark uses lights, sounds and unique sensor technology and allows to be controlled by tilting, turning and quick movements – nicknamed ‘bubble control’ by its creators. Its intelligent design, much like the original, allows the player think three-dimensionally.

Whilst the original Rubik’s Cube was infamous for its difficulty, the Spark has five different games with 26 levels each, so everyone can be faced with a challenge – from the beginners to the more experienced gamers. The Spark also has a multiplayer mode which has more of a social aspect to the game and is ideally suited to parties, whether they be with family or a group of friends. A new fun function that has been introduced by Rubik’s Spark is the ability for players to create their own music using ‘Rubik’s DJ’ party game.

Chrisi Trussell of Rubik’s Brand Ltd explains, “The Spark is a true descendant of the Rubik’s Cube in that it encourages us to spend time together – it’s fun, social and devilishly hard. Exciting and frustrating in equal measure, it’s a great party game.”

Since the invention of the original Rubik’s Cube in 1974 by Ernő Rubik, the classic Cube has undergone many changes. This modern addition to the Brand is great for both adults and children to enjoy.

The Rubik’s Spark can be found at toy and games stores or direct from www.rubiks.com.

Rubik’s Heritage

Since its invention in 1974 by Ernő Rubik, the classic Cube has undergone a number of updates and changes.

Ernő Rubik created the first prototype of the cube as a young professor of architecture in Budapest, in order to help explain spatial relationships to his pupils. Originally named the ‘Magic Cube’, it was renamed ‘Rubik’s Cube’ when it was launched internationally in 1980.

After a period of incredible global popularity, the Rubik’s Cube has become the world’s bestselling toy, with over 400 million cubes sold so far. Last year, the Rubik’s Cube experienced a huge rise in popularity in the US and that trend is spreading across the globe.

Justin Bieber, Will Smith and rapper Logic are all celebrity Rubik’s enthusiasts, and the iconic puzzle is also popular with sportspeople such as cyclist Mark Cavendish and footballer David Silva.

Useful links:

Rubik’s Cube: https://uk.rubiks.com/

Justin Bieber and the Rubik’s Cube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dx06c0ZEBMk

Will Smith and the Rubik’s Cube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pI76CiwvPV4

Logic: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hLqFJaH3KVY

Mark Cavendish: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e1imWK4nYEI

David Silva: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5jjFYNP0nEo

YouTube Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8mNngBI48uc

Scotland Hosts World Extreme Medicine Conference

Dr Michael Barratt

Scotland – world-renowned for scientific medical excellence thanks to pioneers including microbiologist Alexander Fleming, the chemist Thomas Graham, best known for his leading work in dialysis and Joseph Lister, the “Father of Antiseptic Surgery” who transformed surgical practice – will be home to a pioneering medical conference this November.

Taking place from Friday November 18 – 21, at Dynamic Earth, Holyrood Gait, Edinburgh, EH8 8AS the World Extreme Medicine Expo involves over 100 world-renowned medical experts – from surgeons and paramedics to astronauts – sharing their specialty, medical practice conducted away from the comfort of a typical hospital setting.

Four core disciplines are covered – disaster and humanitarian medicine, extreme, expedition and space medicine, human endurance and sports medicine plus prehospital medicine.

World Extreme Medicine Founder Mark Hannaford said, “Our mission is to break down barriers, build bridges and make connections within the extreme medicine community. We are honoured to host the most incredible line up of speakers who are willing to share their learnings, working at the very top of their profession.

“The event is also an amazing showcase for the wonderful diversity of careers in medicine and proof that a fulfilling career can be found outside of a traditional hospital environment. My belief is that there’s never been a more exciting time to work in medicine and the fascinating presentations will prove that point.”

Speakers include the elite sports expert, Edinburgh-based Dr Andrew Murray who has worked for the Olympic, Paralympic and Commonwealth games. He ran 4,300 km from Scotland to the Sahara Desert and completed a husky trek in -40C in Outer Mongolia.

An exploration of the challenges faced when a solar storm hits your space shuttle will be examined by Dr Michael Barratt who spent 199 days as the Chief Medical Officer on the International Space Station. He is passionate about the adapted physiology of people in space.

Disaster Medicine is a more down to earth theme, which is largely covered on the first day of the conference. Mark Hannaford continues, “We have speakers from many aid agencies including Natalie Roberts from Médecins Sans Frontières and Arij Boureslan-Skelton from Save The Children. We’re pleased to have many speakers representing UK-Med, the UK’s disaster and emergency trauma response team, founded by Tony Redmond, who’s also speaking. Speakers, including Sean Hudson, Eoin Walker, Chrissy and Roger Alcock have deployed with UK-Med in response to disasters including the earthquake in Nepal and Typhoon Haiyan. We have chosen Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) as our charity of the year and the leading vascular surgeon Dr David Nott will speak about their work on the first day. Our speakers will share human stories behind the traumatic news headlines.”

The prehospital care programme involves an incredible case of a young woman who suffered a coronary heart attack while walking in London’s Oxford Street. Luckily for her, senior paramedic Eoin Walker from London’s Ambulance Cycle Response Team was close by and saved her life. There will not be a dry eye in the auditorium when Zoë Hitchcock tells her life-changing story.

Mark Hannaford concludes, “We are thrilled to be bringing 100 speakers to Edinburgh at an exciting event attended by 800 doctors, nurses, paramedics, surgeons and medical students. New medical research findings will be shared, so that the World Extreme Medicine event will be making history, following in the footsteps of the scientific giants who are now household names.”

About World Extreme Medicine Expo

Location: Dynamic Earth, Edinburgh, EH8 8AS

Dates: Friday November 18 to Monday November 21

Ticket information: http://www.extrememedicineexpo.com/events/event/extreme-medi… Prices from £124.17 (for one day) to £825.00 (for all four days)

Website: http://www.extrememedicineexpo.com/

Videos: Being a Doctor Just Became the Most Exciting Career https://vimeo.com/170846844

Extreme and Wilderness Medicine – Our Story https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BhPrFGFIFXI

Inoapps Announces New Global Enterprise Change Division

Victoria Briggs

London, City: Oracle Platinum Partner Inoapps (www.inoapps.com) has announced the launch of a new Enterprise Change division. The global practice will provide the company’s clients with both strategic and practical business change expertise to support their Oracle Cloud Journey.

Complementing Inoapps’ existing Oracle Cloud implementation business, the new Change practice will offer a broad array of services from preparing initial cloud readiness assessments through to full end-to-end business transition strategies. Services available will include:

• Business Case Development and Benefits Management

• Requirements Mapping and Business Alignment

• Customer Project Management and Business Change Management

• Stakeholder Engagement and Outcome Mapping

• Test Management and Acceptance into Service

• Programme Assurance and Readiness Assessments

With Inoapps’ global presence in the UK, EMEA, APAC and the Americas, Inoapps’ clients can commission complex international projects, safe in the knowledge that a single highly experienced team coordinates them. Through its skilled global change agents, Inoapps will use its proven customer delivery expertise and innovative change methodology to deliver ‘right first time’ customer outcomes.

Heading up the new division is Victoria Briggs who joins Inoapps from the Methods Group, which specialises in Digital Transformation. Vicky headed up Methods’ Enterprise operation with a specific focus on modernization and transformation of corporate services underpinned by ERP solutions. In just 3 years she rose from Associate to Managing Director. During her varied career, in the digital transformation arena, she supported organisations such as The Law Society, Herefordshire County Council, Royal London Insurance, West Suffolk Shared Service, UK Atomic Energy Authority and Gemserv with their corporate transformation initiatives.

Commenting on her appointment, Inoapps’ CEO Andy Bird said, “Vicky is a highly experienced Enterprise Change professional, supporting organisations as they transform their corporate services across Finance, HR, Procurement and IT. She is also a qualified programme manager, project manager and business analyst with extensive experience of the local government, insurance, construction and energy sectors. I am extremely confident therefore that she is the ideal person to grow our new global operation and I look forward to working closely with her.”

For her part Victoria welcomed Andy Bird’s comment adding, “Initially, many organisations do not understand the complexity involved with change management and they often find that there is only a limited range of options available for independent advice. This is especially true where ‘change’ involves a global dimension. That’s where Inoapps’ new Enterprise Change Practice can help, as we take away the pain involved and ensure that the project moves smoothly at all stages and across international borders where required. We have designed our service offerings to reduce this complexity from a customer perspective, taking over management and delivery responsibility of key customer deliverables.

“There are only a handful of Oracle Platinum partners capable of offering full end to end Enterprise Change Services aligned to Oracle Cloud Services with a focus on modernisation and best practice business flows. For Inoapps, the introduction of the Enterprise Change Division, positions us firmly alongside the big four consultancy organisations in terms of our range of service offerings both here in the UK and on a global basis. Indeed, one of Inoapps’ construction customers will shortly rollout Oracle Cloud in over 30 countries globally. Consequently, I expect demand for the new service to be extremely strong and that this will be from companies of all sizes and at all stages of their transformational cloud journey. Whatever the requirement, we shall develop cost effective, flexible Oracle based solutions that are closely aligned to individual business requirements.”

To find out more visit: www.inoapps.com/change

UCL paper into group emotions wins Academy of Management award

Professor Martin Kilduff, UCL

UCL paper into group emotions wins Academy of Management award

A new paper by Professor Martin Kilduff at UCL School of Management has won the prestigious “Best Annals Paper of the Year Award” from the Academy of Management Annals.

The article addresses the question: Can people in departments, organisations, and even entire industries experience the same emotions at the same time? And if so, what are the causes and consequences of shared emotional states?

This work opens up the exploration of group emotions by combining research over the last 15 years from the fields of psychology, sociology and management.

This article facilitates managers’ understanding a range of processes and outcomes that affect the functioning of their organisations.

“Emotions are such intimate and fleeting experiences that prior scholarship has tended to assume the sharing of emotions has to involve interaction among people,” says Professor Kilduff, “But people’s emotions are also powerfully affected by their identification with groups and by institutionalised group emotion norms.”

For instance, people who identify with the same political party, hold the same nationality, have the same sexual orientation, or are smokers, tend to have similar emotions when their group membership is significant to them. Victory or defeat in a sporting competition can evoke similar emotions in people who are widely dispersed but who identify with their sporting heroes.

Professor Martin Kilduff and his co-author provide theory and evidence to justify the study of these group emotions. The Awards Committee reviewed all of the papers published in 2015 and selected this paper to be honoured for excellence.

“I was thrilled,” says Professor Kilduff, “The Academy of Management Annals is the most influential publication in management research, and it is a great honour to have my ideas evaluated so positively by my peers.”

Five Lead the Line-up for Glasgow Charity Event

Ritchie, Sean and Scott from Five

In four weeks the popular 1990s boy band Five will be performing at a milestone event for the Lauren Currie Twilight Foundation in Glasgow. The Glasgow Radisson Blu Hotel will play host to the event on Friday 16 September 2016 which will see the charity reach its £500,000 donation mark.

Following the success of last year’s highly popular event, which featured The X Factor winner Shayne Ward, the Black & Red Ball has confirmed Five as its headline act. The boy band rose to fame in 1997 with their debut single “Slam Dunk (Da Funk)” which claimed the number 10 spot in the UK singles chart before becoming the NBA’s theme tune. They later went on to release tracks such as “If Ya Getting Down”, “Everybody Get Up” and “Keep On Movin’” which have become some of the most recognisable tunes from the era. The group have sold 1.6 million albums, 2 million singles in the UK and 20 million singles worldwide. They have also received 18 awards including Best Pop Act (BRIT Awards, 2000), MTV Select Award (MTV Europe Music, 1998), Best Newcomer (Silver Clef, 2000) and Best Music Act on a Reality TV Show (National Reality TV Awards, 2013).

In 2001 the boy band went their separate ways but have since regrouped to perform multiple tours in the UK and Australia. In 2014 Five supported McBusted for four shows on their tour. The band, now consisting of original members Ritchie Neville, Scott Robinson and Sean Conlon, continue to tour and perform together. Five regularly appear at charity events to help raise money for good causes and raise awareness.

Speaking ahead of the event Five said, “We are incredibly privileged to be invited to perform at the Lauren Currie Twilight Foundation annual ball, especially at an important celebratory milestone.

“Lauren’s parents have been spectacular in creating this wonderful event to raise awareness of vasculitis and we are excited to be part of the great work they have achieved.”

The Lauren Currie Twilight Foundation was created by Grant and Adrienne Currie following the death of their 15-year old daughter and only child Lauren in 2010. Lauren had suffered from Wegener’s granulomatosis, a variant of the auto-immune disease vasculitis.

Lauren’s condition was only diagnosed in the final hours of her life and her parents realised that, with earlier diagnosis, her life could have been saved.

Lauren’s father Grant Currie said, “This is a very special year for us as this September would have been Lauren’s twenty-first birthday. Lauren adored popular music and we are extremely thankful to have such an acclaimed and popular band perform at our Black & Red Vasculitis ball. We want to raise the profile of vasculitis on an international level within the medical community and the general public. By encouraging earlier diagnosis, it will reduce cases of severe organ damage and save lives.”

Vasculitis is the inflammation of blood vessels. When blood vessels are inflamed they reduce blood flow to tissues and organs. Any blood vessel can become inflamed and can affect any part of the body. Due to this there are numerous types of vasculitis each with different symptoms. The cause of vasculitis is usually unknown but it can sometimes develop from a previous infection. It is an uncommon illness and can affect people of all ages.

Early diagnosis is important in effective medical care for vasculitis. The Lauren Currie Twilight Foundation has awarded £62,000 of funding to the University of Aberdeen to support a PHD project on vasculitis.

The Lauren Currie Twilight Foundation is one of only two vasculitis-specific charities operating in the UK. It is happy to collaborate with other relevant charities that support the fight against vasculitis, including those in the US.

Tickets for the ball are priced at £65 for a single ticket, £650 for a table of ten and £780 for a table of twelve. Included with the ticket or table booking is a drinks reception, three course meal, wine, entertainment from headline act Five, entry into a raffle and an amazing auction.

The Black & Red Ball has been held annually in Glasgow since 2011 and has helped to contribute to the overall fundraising of £500,000 for the charity. The Lauren Currie Twilight Foundation has produced a video explaining the condition, which can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W94a0KLa1vQ.

Charity patron Dr Hilary Jones can be seen talking about the Foundation’s work here:http://www.thelaurencurrietwilightfoundation.org/patrons.htm…

Links

Five Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/5iveofficial/

Five Twitter Page: https://twitter.com/Official5ive

The Lauren Currie Twilight Foundation: http://www.thelaurencurrietwilightfoundation.org/

Lauren Currie Twilight Foundation Twitter: https://twitter.com/LCTFoundation

Glasgow Radisson Blu Hotel: http://bit.ly/288MNrD

Slam Dunk Da Funk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZUZx-8–0c

If Ya Getting Down: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bQU5dYDt7-U

Everybody Get Up: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qZUn-KtTNmA

Keep On Movin’:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FbWJVult-9M

McBusted: http://www.mcbusted.com/

Ritchie Neville: https://twitter.com/ritchieneville

Scott Robinson: https://twitter.com/scottlarock5

Sean Conlon: https://twitter.com/SeanConlonMusic

Shayne Ward: http://shaynewardofficial.com/

University of Aberdeen: http://www.abdn.ac.uk/

Telemisis extends leadership in remote monitoring and control with the launch of the fifth generation of SitePro along with SiteNode 3G.

Telemisis SitePro – Overview Screen

BRISTOL, 18th August 2016: Telemisis, an industry leading provider of remote monitoring and control solutions for industrial and telecommunications applications, today announces the availability of SitePro V5 and SiteNode 3G.

Developed by an expert team, with over a century of experience in remote monitoring and control systems development and deployment, SitePro V5 is designed to meet the day-to-day challenges faced by fleet operators, utilities, carriers, tower operating companies, and industrial process operators when managing their estate of remote assets.

By combining advanced monitoring and control, a simple to use graphical user interface, and extended functionality, along with cutting-edge data analytics techniques, the fifth generation of SitePro enables operators of remote assets to drastically reduce operating costs, improve asset up-time and evolve their investment as demands change over time.

Tony Richardson, Managing Director, Telemisis, said “SitePro V5 takes the experience of using monitoring and control applications to new heights. Making it even easier for customers to install, operate and achieve greater levels of operational savings than ever before.”

With the introduction of SitePro V5, Telemisis has also expands flexibility by enabling customers to define, monitor, control and view multiple assets through a single SiteNode 3G. By using the Collections feature, users are able to define, group, monitor and control multiple remote assets connected to the same SiteNode, e.g., Generator 1, Generator 2, Inverter, Day Tank etc., making deployment even easier and simplifying decision making.

SiteNode 3G. Increased flexibility with unrivaled reliability

SiteNode 3G becomes the new heart of Telemisis’ advanced remote monitoring and control solution, SitePro. While retaining the size and weight of earlier generations of SiteNode, SiteNode 3G is the most advanced remote telemetry unit developed and manufactured by Telemisis to date, taking end-to-end system reliability to new heights and significantly expands control and monitoring options at the remote asset.

With the introduction of 3G support customers have access to enhanced communications flexibility along with piece of mind, when facing the imminent sunset of 2G or 3G networks, across various regions.

“By adding 3G capability to one of the smallest and most capable remote telemetry units available today, we are protecting our customers investment in remote monitoring and control solutions against the imminent sunset of 2G or 3G networks in various regions.” said Chris Begent, Commercial Director, Telemisis, ”Adding 3G also extends the communications fall back capabilities of SiteNode, taking its communications robustness to new levels.”

Fully compatible with previous versions of Telemisis SiteNode, SiteNode 3G and SitePro V5 are available to order from today.

Food Shortages & Immigrant Issues Is Brexit Britain Facing 1916’s WW1 Problems?

Plum & Apple Jam WW1 trench food

Britain in the 1900s was far from self-sufficient when it came to food, relying on imports to provide 70% of its total consumption. Today the UK imports 40% of its food and this percentage has been steadily growing over the last decade. But with 25% of this coming from EU countries, what will happen now?

A hundred years ago, the war on the Somme was raging, which meant able-bodied men were away fighting. The agricultural industry had to rely on migrant labour, which included Belgian war refugees, Irish travellers and even German POWs. There was still a shortfall of labour and children as young as ten worked long days helping with every aspect of food production. With a question mark hanging over the UK’s itinerant work force since Brexit and many Brits not willing to work for agricultural wages, will children once again provide the backbone of the workforce?

The Worcestershire market town of Pershore was at the heart of the agricultural industry in WW1 thanks to its famous plums. These were used to make plum jam to feed the troops in the trenches and the munitions workers in the towns. The town marks the importance of the plum each year at its plum festival –www.pershoreplumfestival.org.uk and this year sees the publication of a book about Pershore’s involvement in the war effort entitled ‘How The Pershore Plum Won The Great War’.

An exhibition being held at Town Hall and based around the book will form part of the Festival’s August Bank Holiday celebrations. One of the book’s authors, Professor Maggie Andrews of Worcester University, takes up the story:

“This book explores how one rural Worcestershire town – Pershore experienced the First World War, how families coped when men going to war, the changes that occurred as people on the home front struggled to maintain the nation’s food supply.

There is a lot to be learnt from the resilience and resourcefulness of the rural population during WWI – families worked long hours to produce, preserve and prepare food from their gardens and allotments. They became very adept at making eggless sponge cakes and using potatoes in everything from bread and cakes.’ Yet people also found ways to have fun, and romances still blossomed.

Looking at the First World War reminds us that traditional English rural communities have always played host to people from other countries – although the reactions to German POWs and Belgium refugees were indeed mixed”.

‘How The Pershore Plum Won The Great War’ costs £ 12:99, is published on 20th August by The History Press and is available from Amazon and bookshops – but will be available special price of £7 during the festival.

To find out more, visit the Plum Festival website at www.pershoreplumfestival.org.uk

Free D Path and TalkingPoint: Bridging the gap between LIMS and cancer registry (COSD) reporting

Dr Fred Mayall

TalkingPoint Commander, GHG Software’s workflow scripting solution, is being used as a bridge between legacy LIMS (laboratory information management systems) and the Free D Path specialist software for cancer registry reporting.

Free D Path is a modern database application developed by Dr Fred Mayall, Consultant Histopathologist at Taunton and Somerset NHS Foundation Trust, to manage cancer registry reporting data requirements. It works on most platforms, including PCs, Macs and iPads, and has won an NHS Innovation Prize from the Secretary of State for Health.

Explains Dr Mayall: “Essentially TalkingPoint is the interface between the old LIMS and the new Free D Path software.TalkingPoint allows us to take cases from the old LIMS system and place them in the new system, including capturing granular data (data in separate fields) that is then sent to the national cancer register using the COSD (Cancer Outcomes and Services Dataset) XML data standard.

TalkingPoint can then place the text report created by Free D Path, back into the old legacy LIMS system, and so we essentially can use the two systems by using TalkingPoint as a bridge, avoiding laborious and error-prone duplicate entry.”

The main benefit of using TalkingPoint to drive the two systems is that this removes the need to change the LIMS which would affect haematology, biochemistry, microbiology and virology in addition to histopathology.

Added Dr Mayall: “By using TalkingPoint, we are now able to streamline the specialist reporting that we are required to do for all cancer cases. This is a model that can be replicated in virtually any department that is using a LIMS system and wants to benefit from the highly specialised reporting applications that they are required to use for the COSD data which is part of the commissioning requirements for laboratories.”

TalkingPoint Commander acts as the ‘bridge’ and also enables voice commands to drive the cancer reporting process. Dr Mayall commented: “By using voice recognition, we are now able to produce reports a day earlier that we could previously, and we rarely need to touch the computer’s keyboard. It simplifies the process.”

1st Touch 360 Customer Portal Helps Drive Business Transformation at New Charter Group

New Charter Group

A 360° Tenant Portal system from leading social housing technology innovator 1st Touch (www.1sttouch.com) is enabling New Charter Group, one of the North West’s largest housing providers to transform its mobile workforce processes and customer support strategy.

The new system delivers a single-view of all key data both for field operatives through their handheld devices and to tenants through an online portal based customer hub.

New Charter Group is a social landlord based in Tameside, Greater Manchester with 19,500 homes in Tameside, Oldham and Nottingham and a turnover of £100 million. In seeking to optimise both efficiency and customer service levels, the Group recently undertook a review of their IT estate focusing on people, processes and technology. Amongst the areas of investment were mobile workforce systems and online customer self-service.

The required system needed to be an automated digital solution that placed customers at its heart, empowering them where possible to self-help through a self-service functionality, allowing them to make payments, request repairs, report anti-social behavior and carry out a host of other useful tasks. It also needed to be ‘right first time’ and ultimately be enterprise wide; allowing all staff, field workers and management to have a single-view of all key data, when visiting customers.

New Charter Group chose 1st Touch’s widely acclaimed 360° Tenant Portal as it had class-leading usability for both field operatives and customers. It also incorporates a revolutionary Automatic Appointments system called iAppoint. This is a doorstep appointments system, which simplifies appointment scheduling through enabling live tenant interaction. This empowers tenants to schedule their own confirmed appointments with multiple departments, either online 24/7 via the customer hub or through field operatives using their handheld devices whilst visiting.

Commenting on the new solution, New Charter Group’s Business Transformation Change Manager Yvonne Campbell said, “A significant increase in customer access and the introduction of class-leading mobile workforce technology are the primary drivers behind introducing 1st Touch 360°.

“Once we have fully rolled 1st Touch out, colleagues will have the digital ‘single-view’ technology they need to provide the best possible customer experience wherever they are. Our customers will have easy 24/7 digital access to our services through our new online customer hub, thereby reducing ‘transactional’ demand. There are also benefits for us as an organisation, as our Customer Insight and Business Intelligence will now drive our decision-making and actions. The combined result will be a significant boost in both efficiency and customer service levels. All in all, 1st Touch has delivered the system we required and we look forward to enjoying the potentially huge rewards that this exciting new solution offers.”

For his part 1st Touch CEO Greg Johns welcomed Yvonne’s comments adding, “You cannot fail to be impressed by the professionalism of New Charter Group’s change strategy or the scale of the investment they have made in transforming mobile working and customer access to services. Nor can one underestimate the positive impact that this level of automation will have on their customers. The fact that customers can now resolve their own issues online through the customer hub, or have them automated by front line staff using their handhelds, is a major step forwards. The immediacy and thoroughness of this type of automation will be incredibly well received by customers and operationally this can certainly be held up as an excellent example of best-practice.”