Replacing an emergency department whiteboard with a live patient journey board

The challenge

In an emergency department every moment matters, especially for patients who need mental health support. The Mental Health Liaison Team at East Metropolitan Health Service (EMHS) tracked beds for its patients on a manual whiteboard.

The team needed a way to find beds for its patients quickly and safely. The goal was simple: a live, view-only display of up-to-date information that nurses and clinicians could see in real time, to help them find beds, coordinate care and identify high-risk patients faster.

Our approach

We worked with the EMHS team to build a secure, lightweight solution on Microsoft Power Platform, called the Patient Journey Board. It uses standard licensing and was delivered in three days.

Patient details sit in a SharePoint list hosted in the team's Microsoft Teams group. Power Automate flows update and refresh the data automatically, and a Power BI integration brings in live emergency department patient information. Nurses sign in securely to update details from any Microsoft device, and a "Be Aware" flag highlights patients who need additional care.

The board itself is view-only. It is shown on a mounted TV screen in a private area and updates automatically, giving the team visibility, structure and safety.

The outcome

The emergency department's mental health team now has live, accurate patient information and greater visibility of high-risk patients. Handovers between shifts are clearer, and the team shares a greater awareness of patients' needs, which supports better coordination of care.

The board was built with standard Microsoft licences and deployed quickly with minimal setup. As its data grows, it will also inform future decisions on how to improve mental health care pathways across the hospital.