NHS Asset Management & Maintenance With PDC™

Easy to apply systems with a speedy payback

Portable Data Collector is an ideal solution for NHS asset management applications

Electronic tagging using radio frequency identification (RFID) has been shown to provide an easy way of keeping
track of planned preventative maintenance (PPM), inspection routines and asset audit.
Using RFID can increase accountability, reduce the time needed for inspection and save asset and maintenance
costs. And RFID systems can be implemented simply and cheaply using well established technology and adaptable
software packages.
Simple, affordable technology is a key to success with RFID. CoreRFID created the PDC (Portable Data Collector)
software system in order to make it possible to introduce RFID based data collection applications quickly and
cheaply, revolutionising asset management and asset related infection prevention.

The PDC System

At the heart of the PDC system is an easy to use, easy to adapt, application running
on a PDA, mobile phone or portable computer. RFID tags are attached to each asset.
The PDC application generates a pre-programmed schedule for the user to follow,
reading information from tags and adding data related to the asset as necessary. Once
the pre-programmed schedule has been completed by the service technican,
inspecting engineer or auditor, the data collected is uploaded via a GPRS or WiFi
connection to a company server or database, so providing managers and support staff
with immediate access to critical information about Trust assets.
Data can be used to plan subsequent inspections or to demonstrate that compliance
routines have been followed. Providing inspectors with their own tags lets the system
establish a trail of accountability for every inspection.
Almost any asset can be tagged; from a computer to a EEG machine, from a air
conditioning plant to a CT scanner. Each tag acts as an electronic passport, giving
access to all the information needed to identify an asset, its location, service history Symbol MC35 in a protective
and status. RFID tags can be used in normal office environments or in situations that Otterbox case: an ideal data
require high resistance to mechanical, electrical or environmental stresses. As a result collector for use with PDC.
the PDC system can be used for most assets. Harsh conditions of extreme
temperature, humidity, chemical exposure, electrical or magnetic fields or vibration can all be coped with.
The benefits are increased accuracy, improved productivity and better accountability
from better information on assets and maintenance activities.

Easy To Implement : Easy To Use

Users of the system have a PDA equipped with an RFID reader and the PDC The Benefits
application. Assets such as medical equipment, beds or items of plant are
identified with the necessary RFID tags. • Shows inspection compliance,
The PDC application is used by an inspecting engineer or auditor with a unique improving inspection and
identity tag and personal identity number. After logging on, the user can scan the reducing the risks of infection
tag of any asset. The system displays the activities relating to the asset and the
user follows the on-screen menu, completing input boxes as needed. • Reduces paperwork

Equipment is accurately identified because data is collected automatically at the • Improves productivity with
point of action. The need for supporting paperwork is removed. Direct entry of automatically down-loaded
data and automatic collection of information from the tags avoids the risk of schedules and faster data
mistakes in transcribing details of collection
equipment or its location. • Increases accountability
Because both the user and the
• Dramatically reduces errors by
equipment are identified, a clear
removing manual data collection
chain of accountability is
established. This improves the • Provides immediate feed-back
ability of Trusts or their FM through easily accessible reports.
providers to show that inspection
follows best-practice or legally
enforceable standards. Data is stored as each inspection or maintenance
action is undertaken. At the end of the day, data is sent across a WiFi or GPRS
link so that the system can be used on multiple locations or across a large site
such as a major hospital complex.
The data entered for each asset can be used to update inspection records,
maintenance schedules, or asset registers as necessary. Data from the PDC
can be easily imported into common financial applications such as SAP or into
database solutions such as Oracle or Microsoft SQL Server.
From data collected it is possible to identify which actions have been carried
out on which asset by which user. Detailed reports enable managers to keep
plant and equipment operating reliably and safely. The list of actions shows
conformance to regulatory regimes, legislation and Health Service guidelines
A typical PDC screen: easy to use and clear.
PDC is a robust, flexible, system that is easy to customise, simple to introduce
and straightforward to integrate with existing business applications. Its low cost of means it can often pay for itself in only a
few months. PDC is fully supported by CoreRFID and CoreRFID is happy to provide Personal Digital Assistants, RFID tags and
the readers best suited to the customer’s applications as well as advice on appropriate tag technology and tag coding.

About CoreRFID
CoreRFID specialise in the technologies that help track, trace, audit and control; to learn more, contact us today:

CoreRFID Ltd. Dallam Court, Dallam Lane, Warrington U.K. WA2 7LT
T: +44 (0) 845 071 0985 F: +44 (0) 845 071 0989 W: www.corerfid.com E: info@corerfid.com