News and events...
Picchu Trek - The Winners
17/08/2012
The raffle for Chris McMail's Machu Picchu Trek was drawn today at the Ayrshire Hospice by Senior Fundraising Manager Graeme Strawhorn, 196 tickets were sold for the raffle raising £3920. A huge thank you to everyone who bought a ticket and well done to all the winners, the winners were as follows
Chris leaves for the trek next Thursday there is still time to sponsor him by logging onto http://www.justgiving.com/Chris-McMail
Ian Inspired By Brave Boy
16/08/2012
A Kilmarnock company is rallying to help a lad stricken by a rare form of bone cancer.
Ian Sey, who works at Microtech Support Limited in the town, was stunned when his stepson Cameron Kennedy was diagnosed with Ewings Sarcoma. And the tumour was only discovered after Cameron 17, felt an unusual pain in his leg after a game of football. The teenager almost lost part of his leg, but after chemotherapy, he is now racing back to full fitness. Now his relieved family are ready to pay thanks to the support network which helped him in his fight and step-dad Ian is leading the way by hitting the start line of the Great Scottish Run half-marathon.
Ian said "When Cameron was diagnosed it came as a huge shock. A doctor wanted to rule out deep vein thrombosis as the cause of the pain so sent him for an x-ray". It was only then that the problem showed up and Cameron was immediately put into a range of tests & then started chemotherapy treatment. The Therapy at Glasgow's renowned Beatson Cancer Centre saw Cameron get the use of facilities funded by Teenage Cancer Trust. And they played a huge part in aiding his recovery. Ian explained "The atmosphere was more like being at home than in a hospital because the trust has paid for things like TV's and pool tables." "It was fantastic to have the facility on offer and really helped during the treatment" "Seeing the difference it has made to Cameron has made me really want to raise funds for the charity" The Teen has just come through an 11-hour operation to remove 15cm of bone from his leg as medics battled to remove the tumour. Ian said: "What Cameron says to everyone now is if you feel pain in your leg that won't go away please go and get it checked out because you never know what it might be. Now I'm determined to say thanks to some of the people who helped Cameron during this very tough journey"
To Sponsor Ian visit www.justgiving.com/iansey2012
Microtech and TeleHealth
05/07/2012
Scottish IT support and maintenance company Microtech and telehealth provider Telehealth Solutions have joined together to deliver responsive installation and technical support to NHS customers across the north of England and Scotland.
The Ayrshire based company Microtech will be installing and maintaining the “Home Pod”, a state-of-the-art monitoring service that will allow hundreds of people to remain living safely and independently at home.
The “Home Pod”, which is helpful to those with conditions such as long-term chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and Congestive Heart Failure (CHF), allows people to monitor their own blood pressure, blood oxygen level, temperature, weight and heart rate and record the results using a simple menu-driven touch-screen tablet computer. It also asks a number of routine questions about how the patient is feeling.
Information gathered from the patient by the Home Pod is sent by wireless, broadband or telephony to the Telehealth Solutions server, maintained by a third party and behind the NHS firewall. Relevant information (which includes alerts that have been decided by the clinician) is transmitted to the nominated carer(s) and may be posted to the patient’s record at the clinician’s surgery in compliance with the relevant guidelines. No clinical data is stored in the patient’s home.
Microtech have vast experience in installing and maintaining healthcare solutions as they were previously awarded the National contract to provide all of Scotland’s GP’s with a sophisticated Electronic Document Management and Workflow tool known as [Docman] for managing the large volumes of paper patient letters received from hospitals every day. By using this technology in association with nationally agreed document standards, the way in which GP’s managed clinical letters has been transformed.
Microtech’s Managing Director Chris McMail said, “We are pleased at Microtech to be involved with Telehealth in providing what we believe is a fantastic product with many benefits for both the patients and the Health and Social Services. As well as giving people back their independence, the “Home Pod” has the potential to save the health service unnecessary appointments and unnecessary emergency admissions, as well as freeing up professionals’ time and hospital beds”.
Tim Shaw, Operations Director at Telehealth Solutions adds “We are delighted to be working with Microtech who will provide specialist, responsive support to our customers. We recognise the challenges that our customers face in tough geographical regions, and Microtech have the knowledge and dedicated staff to respond to these needs” .
In addition Microtech will continue to provide support for Telehealth Solutions’ SurgeryPod, a device that enables patients to measure their own blood pressure and answer health questions in the GP waiting room. The results are directly posted to their patient record, making GP appointments more efficient and giving clinical staff more time to care.
Microtech's Managing Director Chris McMail and Sales Manager Martin Duffy successfully climbed Ben Nevis on Saturday to raise money for the very worthwhile CLIC Sargent Charity. Ben Nevis is Britain's highest mountain and rises from sea level on the shores of Loch Linnhe, looming 4,408ft (1,344m) above the town of Fort William. They managed the trek in six hours, four hours to the top and two hours back down.
Chris and Martin raised over £200 each for CLIC Sargent the leading cancer charity for children, young people and their families in the UK. CLIC Sargent provide clinical, practical and emotional support to help children and young people, and their families cope with cancer and get the most out of life. Being diagnosed with cancer is a frightening experience and the emotional, practical and financial implications of treatment are intensely challenging for the whole family. CLIC Sargent support families from the point of diagnosis helping them deal with the impact of cancer and its treatment, life after treatment and, in some cases, bereavement.
Well done Chris and Martin.
Docman deployment to Scottish Prisons
19/04/2012
NHS Scotland has announced the deployment of PCTI’s software system DocMan in a roll out to 16 Scottish Prisons.
The contract worth in excess of £100,000 over 5 years will see Scottish IT Support and Maintenance Company Microtech install the document management and workflow solution already installed and used in more than 1000 GP practices in Scotland.
DocMan is designed to enable easy access to patient information therefore allowing prison staff fast and reliable access to prisoner’s health records. This will replace the current manual process for prison staff and will also allow the electronic transfer of documents when patients are transferred between prison stablishments or released.
DocMan will be hosted centrally in NHS Grampian alongside INPS’ Vision system.
PCTI were previously awarded the National contract to provide all of Scotland’s GP’s with DocMan. By using this technology in association with nationally agreed document standards, the way in which GP’s manage clinical letters and patients has been transformed.
Chris McMail, MD, Microtech Support Ltd, adds: “We are delighted at Microtech to be deploying this innovative product to Scottish Prisons on behalf of PCTI. Presently prisoner’s community records are not available within prisons; records are managed manually which proves problematic when prisoners are transferred. Having easy, secure access to prisoner’s health information is a vital component of the success of the Scottish Prison Service and we are pleased to be involved in integrating a reliable and secure system to allow this.
After successfully completing treks to China in 2009 and Kilimanjaro in 2010 Microtech's Managing Director Chris McMail took a break last year. He has now decided to dust off his boots and signed up to trek the Machu Picchu ruins in Peru in August later this year.
Chris has been extremely grateful for the support he has received in his past fundraising quests. I have been astounded by the donations I received for my previous treks in aid of the Ayrshire Hospice and realise that there are a number of very worthwhile charities all struggling to raise funds so any donation large or small will be very gratefully accepted. This time I will be splitting the funds raised between The Ayrshire Hospice and The MND Association. I appreciate any support you can provide.
There will also be will be some fundraising events being organised in the run up to the trek, details of which will be posted on here soon.
You can donate online by going onto Chris's Just Giving site by following the link below.
http://www.justgiving.com/Chris-McMail
For any further information please contact Chris chris.mcmail@microtechsupport.co.uk or Nicola McCulloch nicola.mcculloch@micrtotechsupport.co.uk
Ayrshire Hospice - Fundraiser
24/06/2011
Dr Keith Grant is fundraising for The Ayrshire Hospice By Taking on the challenging ascent of Mera Peak in the Himalayas starting on 30th October 2011, the ipad has been donated by Microtech and will be one of the prizes in a raffle being organized by Dr Grant to raise funds for the hospice.
Dr Grant successfully climbed Mount Kilimanjaro in March 2010.
Mera Peak (6476m, 21240 feet) and takes 3 weeks to reach, it is located in the Everest region of the Nepal Himalaya. It is the highest point in the Nepal Himalaya, which is accessible using no more than basic glacier skills. The view from the summit is acknowledged to be one of the finest in the entire Nepal Himalaya, encompassing five of the World's 8000-metre peaks, Cho Oyu, Everest, Lhotse, Makalu and Kanchenjunga. Dr Grant successfully climbed Mount Kilimanjaro raising funds for the hospice in March 2010.
Scotland leads the way in healthcare innovation
11/04/2011
Scottish IT Support and Maintenance Company Microtech, are to deliver NHSScotland’s newly agreed national deployment of an innovative Electronic Document Transfer Hub (EDT) from PCTI Solutions.
EDT will allow all Scottish hospitals to send patient letters and results direct to the patients GP benefitting patients, clinicians and administrators.
At the minute the majority of correspondence between hospitals and GP’s is in paper format, with over 10 million items being sent each year. Not only is this costly compared to electronic communication (an average letter costs the NHS about £1 each including staff time, production and delivery costs), it is also very slow and has no audit tracking.
The addition of this National Hub will provide NHSScotland with a state of the art system that will.
• Improve patient care;
• Allow same day electronic letter delivery;
• Provide important audit information;
• Remove the high costs associated with paper.
Microtech were previously awarded the National contract to provide all of Scotland’s GP’s with a sophisticated Electronic Document Management and Workflow tool known as [Docman] for managing the large volumes of paper patient letters received from hospitals every day. By using this technology in association with nationally agreed document standards, the way in which GP’s managed clinical letters has been transformed.
The EDT solution transfers all letters over the NHS secure network straight into Docman’s electronic workflow, where healthcare professionals can use automation tools to gain faster access to critical patient information, ultimately increasing the whole patient experience.
Andy Robertson, Director at NHS National Services Scotland’s National Information System Group said: “We are always looking at how new technology can improve the way we do things across Scotland. Docman was rolled out about seven years ago and has been a real success. EDT Hub is a natural progression, providing an end-to-end solution to manage electronic correspondence between hospitals and GP’s.”
Dr Beena Raschkes, GP and Joint Clinical IT Lead at NHS Tayside said: “We were one of the first sites to start using the EDT Hub and have also been using Docman for six or seven years. The Hub has meant that I can get access to patient’s hospital letters hours after their hospital appointment which means there is no more time wasted during my patient consolations due to me not having the right information. Also through the audit trail, we can now be sure that the right patient information is getting to the right place at the right time.”
Chris McMail, MD, Microtech Support Ltd, adds: “We are delighted at Microtech to be deploying this innovative product across all Health Boards on behalf of PCTI. In the current economic climate it is particularly rewarding to be working on behalf of NHSScotland and allows us to safe guard employment and continue to expand. We have already piloted EDT within some Health Boards in Scotland who are now reaping the benefits and we expect to have rolled out the Hub to over half of the Health Boards by the end of the year when the advantages will really start to kick in. Our agreement is for there to be in excess of 40 million electronic documents to be sent within the next four years, the improvements to the services of patients will then become apparent giving patients improved information within a faster time scale.”
ISO20K Awarded to Microtech Support
16/09/2010
Microtech Support are pleased to announce their recent award of an ISO 20000 certification.
ISO 20000 is the international certification against standard for IT Service management and is the first worldwide standard specifically aimed at IT Services.
It is an integrated set of management processes for the effective delivery of services to the business and its customers and provides a recognised tried and tested management system allowing an IT service organisation to plan, manage, deliver, monitor, report, review and improve its services enabling IT companies like Microtech to identify how to enhance the quality of service they deliver to their customers, both internal and external.
Microtech are one of the first IT Organisations in the Scotland to have been awarded with an ISO 20000 certification some other companies with the UK that have been credited with the award include BT Global Services, IBM UK Ltd, BAE Systems and Samsung SDS Europe Limited.
Organisations must be externally audited and prove that best practices are implemented against requirements whilst demonstrating that as an organisation they have adequate controls and procedures in place to consistently deliver a cost effective, quality IT service.
Microtech’s Managing Director Chris McMail - “Achieving an award like this demonstrates our commitment to IT quality assurance while allowing us to develop as an organisation and improve performance. Our staff have worked tirelessly over the past year implementing the many procedures and controls required to be certificated with this award which in turn will benefit our staff and customers with enhanced service levels ultimately leading to a better service for all. Being one of the first IT Organisations in Scotland to be awarded this is a fantastic achievement.”
Microtech's Managing Director Chris McMail successfully completed the Great Scottish Run on Sunday in Aid of the Ayrshire Hospice. Chris completed the 13 mile route around Glasgow in 2hrs 5mins. A big thank you to everyone that sponsored him. If you would still like to donate to this great cause please go to Chris' Just Giving page at www.justgiving.com/chrismcmail
New Leeds Office Open
29/04/2010
Microtech are pleased to announce the expansion of their services within England with a new office in Leeds now open. Microtech will now be able to offer all products and services to customers south of the border. For further information please contact our Sales Department on 01563 546671.
Microtech's Managing Director, Chris McMail and Special Projects Manager, Ian Sey recently made a sucessful climb to the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, Africa in aid of The Ayrshire Hospice. Congratulations to both! There's still time to sponsor via the below links:
http://www.justgiving.com/chrismcmail
http://www.justgiving.com/iansey
Microtech provide Apples for School Kids
09/01/2010
Press Release
16th of August 2010
Microtech provide Apples for School Kids
Local I.T. Support and Maintenance Company, Microtech Support Limited
Provide Computers for Dalmuir Out of School Care Group.
Kilmarnock based Microtech Support Limited have donated a fully functioning Computer Suite for Dalmuir Out of School Care Group, a childcare facility managed by Dalmuir Park Housing Association .
The Suite consisting of Apple Mac Computers and Printers as well as computer desks and chairs will allow the children access to games, and educational software as well as internet access.
Microtech, established in 1986 have been providing Computer hardware and software support services to Dalmuir Housing Association for well over 10 years.
On-going contracts with the NHS and local corporate customers have allowed Microtech to continue to expand with heavy investment in support facilities and staff; now employing over 30 members of staff including the only full time fully manned service desk facility available for businesses of all types and all sizes in the area and over 15 Field Engineers providing on site support anywhere in Scotland. Microtech are a Microsoft gold partner and are currently working towards iso-20k accreditation.
Dalmuir Park Out of School Care Group has been in existence for almost 20 years. It has the facility to hold 75 children, two Co-ordinators and 6 staff and is located in Dalmuir CE Centre, Duntocher Road, Dalmuir, Clydebank.
The group serves three schools; St Stephen's Primary, Clydemuir Primary & Our Lady of Loretta Primary and in addition provides a Playscheme service for local kids during school holidays. The popular facility is run by Dalmuir Park Housing Association
Chris McMail - Director, Microtech Support
"I am delighted that we are able to sponsor the organisation in this way. As a father of two young children I fully recognise how important it is for children of all ages to have access to computers and the web. Computers are becoming much more accessible in the classroom and provision of these facilities will allow the same children to be able to practice out with school."
Pat Gilbride - Director Dalmuir Park Housing Association
"We want to provide the highest levels of care for children attending DOSCG, and this facility does exactly that and helps to make our childcare both fun and educational through state of the art technology. The Association has long benefitted from the experience and support provided by Microtech, and we thank Chris for his generous investment in the project and the community".
Microtech Support Limited
Tel: 01563 530480
Fax: 01563 536581
Email: Chris.McMail@microtechsupport.co.uk
http://www.microtechsupport.co.uk
Dalmuir Park Housing Association
Tel: 0141 952 2447
Fax:
Email: Pat.Gilbride@dpha.org.uk
http://www.dpha.org.uk
Microtech Employee of the Year Awards
29/12/2009
Microtech recently ran its annual Employee of the Year awards. Congratulations to Alan Lindsay who has been awarded Employee's Employee of the Year, and to Stephen Barr, who has been awarded Employer's Employee of the Year. Both were presented with a plaque, and the names of both employees have been added to the respective shields which will be on permanent display in our boardroom.
Microtech and Jayex
03/10/2009
Jayex Technology Limited have appointed Kilmarnock based Microtech Support Limited as the sole Scottish Distributor to Promote the Jayex Product Range within the Healthcare Market in Scotland. Under this exclusive arrangement Microtech will Publicise, Install and Support the Jayex Product Range to Primary and Secondary Care Organisations within NHS Scotland.
Jayex were established in 1978 and are recognised as Pioneers and Market Leaders in Advanced Information Displays, Queue Management and Touch Screen Self Check-In Systems. They have provided off-the-shelf as well as custom designed solutions to over 6000 NHS Installations throughout the UK, are integrated to many clinical systems and incorporate the very latest advances and innovations.
Microtech Support Limited has been supporting I.T. in GP Practices in Scotland since 1986. As well as providing core I.T. Support Services they have just completed the contract to rollout a Document Management Solution to every GP Practice. Microtech has technical resources located throughout Scotland making them ideally positioned to support the extensive Jayex Range.
Bob Marsh, Sales Director of Jayex said: "This exciting partnership will allow us to develop our existing customer base in Scotland but more importantly allows us to offer an enhanced level of support to our existing clients, by a company who have a proven pedigree in Scotland."
Jayex Product Range
1. Patient Call Displays in LED and LCD
2. Touch Screen Check In Systems
3. Touch Screen Patient Feedback and Information
4. Digital Multi-Media Signage Solutions
Chris McMail, Microtech?s Managing Director, is delighted to welcome Jayex on board and is confident that the extensive product range will offer some exciting opportunities with NHS Scotland and the growing private health sector
He added: "The Jayex Brand fully complements our existing Product Portfolio and allows us not only to increase our offerings in the GP Market but further increases our exposure to Secondary Care Organisations."
We currently have a twenty second advert every four minutes running on the first LED Cityscreen in Scotland. The Cityscreen is in Glasgow's City Centre visible from Renfield Street and the junctions of Sauchiehall Street, Bath Street, West Regent Street, West George Street and West Vincent Street, a range of almost 1,000 metres.
A live video of the screen can be viewed at:
http://www.forrest-group.co.uk/cityscreen/glasgow/webcams
Microtech staff recently enjoyed their annual team building trip along with staff from partner company PCTI when they visited the city of Krakow in Poland. Krakow is Poland's fourth largest city and is one of the best-preserved medieval city centres in Europe. A great weekend was had by all.
New On-Site Tape Validation Service
02/09/2009
Following feedback from Health Boards and practices throughout Scotland Microtech Support Limited and Egton Medical Information Systems Limited have worked together to provide new on-site tape validation service to Scottish GP practices.
The new service will be performed by Microtech with on-going, remote, technical support from EMIS where required. This alternative to the existing EMIS service removes the need for tape transportation. Microtech technical staff will perform the validation of the clinical system and DocMan files at the practice giving practice staff access to the data for verification and piece of mind as well as ensuring that patient data remains within and under the control of the practice.
Microtech will contact customers to discuss the new service although existing EMIS TVS contracts and any outstanding tapes will be processed as normal.
For further information on this service please contact Microtech on 01563 530480.
Microtech's Managing Director, Chris McMail and Support Desk Manager, Ian Sey have agreed to climb Mount Kilimanjaro in March in aid of the Ayrshire Hospice. The climb will see them trekking for 10 days to the summit of the highest mountain in Africa. Anyone who watched the celebrity climbers doing this for Comic Relief will know that it is not an easy task but will be very worthwhile if they raise enough sponsorship for the Ayrshire Hospice.
The Hospice provides specialist palliative care to the highest possible standard for those with advanced Cancer or Motor Neurone Disease for whom cure is no longer possible, as well as support for the families facing the loss of a loved one. This care is provided by a multi-disciplinary team led by a Medical Director and includes In-Patient Care (20 beds), Day Care (16 places per day) and Specialist Palliative Homecare Nursing Team. The services are provided at no cost to patients or families, but as a charity, it is heavily dependent upon voluntary donations to meet expenses. They currently require to raise, from voluntary sources, ?3.2m per year.
The Hospice provides a wonderful support to all families affected, if you would like to help Chris or Ian achieve their sponsorship goals please visit their justgiving pages below:
http://www.justgiving.com/chrismcmail
http://www.justgiving.com/iansey
Microtech Become Microsoft GOLD Certified!!!
10/07/2009
Microtech have recently become a Microsoft Gold Certified Partner.
Gold Certified Partners represent the highest level of competence and expertise with Microsoft technologies and have the closest working relationship with Microsoft.
At this level, Microtech have access to the resources and support we need to stand out in the marketplace, including a technical services coordinator, access to the Partner Knowledge Base, priority listing in Microsoft directories and other top-level benefits.
Microtech Team Take Trophy
16/06/2009
A team from Microtech recently took part in the annual Ayrshire Business in the Community 5-a-side Tournament at the Kilwinning Community Sports Club. The spirit of the Challenge is to promote citizenship, interaction, team building, networking and health. The Microtech team reached the final and battled for the trophy by beating Rashillhouse Contracts. Well done to all who took part.
Pictured lifting the trophy is Microtech's Sales Manager - Martin Duffy.
Race Night in Aid of Ayrshire Hospice Kilimanjaro Fund
11/05/2009
Chris and Ian would like to thank everyone very much who attended the race night at the Park Suite on Saturday night. They managed to raise the fantastic total of £2,441.98 towards their fundraising quest for the Ayrshire Hospice Kilimanjaro climb.
Thank you also to everyone who bought horses, sponsored the event or donated raffle prizes.
A great night was had by all. (Listen out for some more fundraising events we will be arranging in the future, there is a rumour Ian may even agree to get waxed for this great cause!!)
Thank you very much again for your support. You can track Chris and Ian's progress via the links below:
http://www.justgiving.com/chrismcmail
http://www.justgiving.com/iansey
Microtech staff recently visited Barcelona for their annual weekend excursion abroad.
After previous successful trips to Prague and Amsterdam, Barcelona was this year's chosen destination.
Activities included an open top bus tour of the city, tours of the Nou Camp stadium and visits to La Sagrada Familia Cathedral (pictured).
Microtech met up with their partner company, PCTI, for the yearly team building event. Once again, the trip was a great success and all staff are already looking forward to next year's excursion!!!
Microtech are not Waiting Around
30/04/2008
Microtech Support Limited Assist NHS National Waiting Times Centre to reduce waiting times
Microtech Support today announced that they had successfully won the contract to supply a Document Management System to the NHS National Waiting Times Centre.
Kilmarnock based Microtech Support Limited has been awarded the contract to provide an Electronic Document Management and Workflow system to both the Golden Jubilee National Hospital and the Beardmore Hotel and Conference Centre in Clydebank. Microtech successfully beat stiff competition from 37 companies to win the European tender. This contract complements the recently completed National contract to supply and support Document Management to every GP Practice in Scotland.
Microtech, Managing Director Mr. Chris McMail "The move from Primary to Secondary Care was the natural progression for us and now allows us to explore the transfer of Documents from Hospitals direct to the GP Practice. We are delighted that The Golden Jubilee is the first Hospital site to move towards implementing these processes."
NHS National Waiting Times Centre, Head of E-Health Mr. William Edwards "Using this new document management system will help us streamline our administration process as well as helping us to achieve our goal of becoming a paperless environment. But more importantly, it means we will be able to provide a better service to patients by giving staff quicker and easier access to their information."
Achieving such contracts has allowed the company to continue to expand with heavy investment in support facilities and staff. They now have 30 employees and have introduced support services including the only full time staffed service desk facility available for businesses of all types and all sizes in the area as well as over 15 Field Engineers providing on site support anywhere in Scotland.
