The system was developed by TSG, which also built the billing system for the Island’s GPs, to aid local frontline healthcare workers, and other services, following a request from the government to provide a single centralised system to co-ordinate PPE distribution.
Demand for PPE has soared during the Covid-19 crisis, with the government recently reporting that £5 million had been spent on it during the outbreak compared to the usual amount of £200,000 per year.
TSG’s portal system passes orders on to the PPE Co-ordination Group which sends approved requests to the local distribution centre, with more than 350 orders received and processed so far.
Dr Chris Edmond, the clinical lead for the government’s PPE cell, said: ‘We would really like to thank all of those involved in designing and building this system which is a crucial part of supporting us to provide the right PPE that our medical teams need to provide care.
‘The portal makes it much easier for dedicated public and private healthcare staff to have the right equipment to do their essential jobs. Having this system up and running so quickly and so smoothly made a huge difference.’
As well as health care staff, organisations which have access to the portal include the States of Jersey Police, the prison service and the Jersey Fire and Rescue Service.
Andy Delaney, chief executive of TSG, said that the PPE project had been ‘challenging’ but was ‘vital’ in the fight against Covid-19.
‘Even though we were all working from home, we were able to work together with the government to provide this platform which allows the PPE cell to manage the demand for equipment, ensuring it gets to the people who need it, when they need it,’ he said.
‘We are proud that we have been able to support our frontline staff by using our IT expertise to provide this solution.’
