Engagement Period December 2014 – October2015

The Challenge

Cloud21 data migration expertise was initially sought by Irish Medical Systems (IMS) and subsequently directly by Taunton and Somerset NHS Foundation Trust to reverse extending project timelines for migration from the incumbent Cerner Millennium solution.

As the first of type deployment of the Open Source Maxims EPR, there was a call for an innovative approach to ensure programme goals were achieved in a context of evolving IFF specifications.

Project scope included PAS, ED, Theatres. The programme was experiencing difficulties with the migration of data to the IMS solution, with limited skilled resource, draft DM specifications and further IFF development required, the programme had been delayed inhibiting the opportunity to reach the first Trial Load 1 milestone.

The Approach

Cloud21 provided a highly skilled data migration team who were initially engaged to undertake a review of the migration project. The Cloud21 approach, technical skills and in- depth deployment knowledge instilled confidence in the Trust and the Cloud21 service was consequently extended to lead the end to end delivery of the migration project, as well as providing key direction and support across the deployment programme.

The Cloud21 team took over from an existing Trust team and worked closely with the IMS data migration team to develop a comprehensive, repeatable process for generating IFFs. The team also worked closely with the Trust information team to understand and accommodate known issues with the reporting data warehouse, which often required additional transformation logic to ensure that the source data selected for migration was consistent and accurate.

Extract, Transform and Load (ETL)

The load and validation routines being used by the IMS team were undergoing significant redevelopment during the initial few months of the project and the Cloud21 team worked closely with IMS colleagues to ensure that changes to the IFF specification were incorporated into the transformation routines. The development of the data quality checks was somewhat iterative based on the results of each trial load, leading to a comprehensive set of checks which assured the quality and the integrity of the data prior to load.

Trial Load Management

Cloud21 and IMS undertook numerous trial loads throughout the implementation. The transformation and load process was typically completed within a 24hr period and was initially used to validate that accuracy /completeness of the source data / transformation routines.

Once the data processes had been fully validated and proved to be repeatable, the trial loads were used to validate the accuracy and completeness of the Trust Maxims build, especially clinic build. Regular full, end to end migrations also enabled the Trust information team to make use of migrated data to feed into their new data warehouse and supported validation.

System Knowledge

The Cloud21 team gained extensive knowledge of the Maxims data model, front end functionality and configuration tools.

The team’s knowledge of Cerner Millennium enabled them to provide detailed reports highlighting missing / incorrect build (outside of a trial load) which the Trust team used to prioritise build activity.

In addition, the Cloud21 team worked closely with the test team to support validation of the migrated data and workflow testing.

The Cloud21 team supported a full dress rehearsal run on a 24*7 basis to mirror the cutover, as well as the cutover on Saturday 26th September 2015. In addition to the data migration team that had worked with the Trust throughout the implementation, Cloud21 allocated additional resource in the final months of the project who completed a full handover with the on-site team and attended both dress rehearsal and cutover.

Deployment Expertise

The remit of the Cloud21 team extended beyond the data migration project to providing guidance and support across the deployment programme, which included:

• Strategic guidance and support across senior and operational deployment work streams, enabling decision making at all levels.
• Configuration: Provided reports and extracts from the legacy system. Assessment of data quality and identification of configuration gaps.
• Reporting and Information: Data reconciliation and data extraction from IMS Maxims.

Post Go – Live Support

Following the successful migration and cutover to IMS Maxims the team provided additional support in the weeks following to triage any data migration issues and also provide the Trust with support on other issues as required.

How did our work deliver value to the Client?

The Cloud21 team provided expert knowledge and skills across technical, operational and strategic elements of the deployment programme.

With unrivalled expertise of data migration practices and healthcare system knowledge the team successfully mitigated and recovered delays in the migration timeline, delivering a smooth transition with minimal disruption to service, allowing the Trust to return to business as usual in record time.

Providing expert guidance across the EPR programme ensured the right decisions and actions were taken by the Trust at the right time, enabling a successful system implementation with minimal operational risk.

Testimonial

“The Cloud21 team was engaged to support our data migration work stream; where they have fully met our requirements. But more than that, they have called on their entire organisation’s extensive knowledge of EPR implementations to provide invaluable advice and guidance across our entire programme. They understand the needs and challenges facing the NHS and genuinely care about how our programme can positively impact our patients and our staff. ”