Development

I am a West Yorkshire based software developer with an extensive background in Healthcare Informatics and a particular interest in interoperability between different systems. Simple, functional design and easy to understand code are my main weapons of choice.

I am currently employed with Dedalus (following their acquisition of the former DXC Healthcare division in April 2021). I am primarily developing interfaces for their incumbent pathology laboratory management systems (LIMS) which are hosted within a Intersystems Cache environment. These interfaces are generally with specialised specimen analysis equipment or data managers (which handle communucations for several instruments). The interfaces we develop use a mix of laboratory healthcare communication standards such as ASTM, HL7 or other supplier-specific formats. I am also involved in the implementation of interfaces with their next-generation LIMS. This LIMS environment makes use an in-house integration engine to handle message transformation from these healthcare standards to the messaging formats that the newer product provides.

I was previously employed at EMIS, one of the largest suppliers of electronic patient record software throughout the UK healthcare market, especially in Primary Care (GP Surgeries). During my time at EMIS, I worked in a number of teams, most recently I worked in a team who provided the supplier-specific frameworks supporting numerous national-level reporting functions. In the past, I worked in development teams who were involved in the preparation of maintenance releases to EMIS clinical systems, investigating and resolving software issues and developing occasional new functionality. Finally, I was the principal developer for a business critical in-house solution which had been used across the company for customer fault reporting and management for a number of years.

I have used a variety of development tools from modern languages such as C# to older niche languages, such as MUMPS. It is my belief the single most important factor in any application or tool is the end-user’s experience.

I work best in an environment where agile approaches are used for delivery in a multi-disciplined team. This, I feel, is the best way to draw on a wealth of knowledge and experience so that all members can positively contribute to the end product.

I have provided customer support in the past and have dealt with end users of various knowledge levels often having to scope the level to pick while still on a call with the customer. I feel that this background is a benefit when trying to think about what the end-user is expecting the software to do so that we can work together to deliver an excellent product experience.