Ross Fullerton started working for LAS (London Ambulance Service) in May 2017. He was brought on board after a horrendous IT disaster that involved all of London’s dispatch service shutting down on New Year’s Day. Unlike others in the healthcare IT world, Fullerton has a pretty diverse background working IT in defense, finance, and independent consulting.
The New Year’s debacle was not the first time the LAS system has had problems, and Fullerton was happy to step up to the challenge. The problems to any system, according to Fullerton, lay in its data, and a data driven approach is what he believed was needed to help the LAS run efficiently. He started with leading a perception change of IT from something frustrating and risky, to innovative with possibilities. Fullerton says, “At the leadership level, It’s about getting on board with how we can transform care.”
From there he started to focus on updating the technology. What he calls “getting the basics right” is updating the network, wi-fi, and phone system. “You could have the flashiest gadget, but what’s the point if it takes 10 minutes to connect to the Internet” he says. Along with the basics he acquired 4,500 4G iPads and has set up a Facebook messaging system. Fullerton: “It’s quick access to basic information about a patient that leads to better care on the scene.”
When Fullerton took over, his target average response time was 7 minutes . As of today the average response time is 6 minutes 28 seconds, and with 1.2 million emergencies annually. Although Fullerton is proud of his teams accomplishments, but he sums up one of his own personal moment of pride: “One day the chief executive said ‘he doesn’t get people complaining about IT anymore.’ That was a seminal moment.”
For the moment Fullerton has done a great job turning the IT of the LAS around from a burden and liability into efficiency and helpful. He has also helped us better understand how businesses can use IT in more productive ways. I personally can’t wait to here what innovations Fullerton and his team can come up with in the future.
LIS 4022 Spring 2020 