AI safely analyses large, complex datasets in minutes instead of days for South Western Sydney Local Health District
The promise of generative AI comes with a critical question for healthcare organisations: How can we use the power of AI while protecting sensitive patient data?
With over 25 million patient presentations on its platform, South Western Sydney Local Health District faced this very challenge.
As demand for healthcare grows, so does the volume and complexity of data.
A team of dedicated clinicians and researchers at the District took on this challenge with vision and purpose.
They needed a solution to rapidly extract secure, real-time insights in high-pressure environments including its Emergency Department, while maintaining stringent data and privacy controls.
Their work, in partnership with Fujitsu, has resulted in an ambitious, clinician-led transformation that now sets a benchmark for the entire sector.
Building a unified view of the patient journey
Covering seven local government areas and serving over 820,000 people in one of Australia’s fastest-growing regions, the District faces unique challenges in delivering patient-centred, equitable care.
Together with the Ingham Institute and the South Western Emergency Research Institute, the District developed ‘CEDRIC’ (the Comprehensive Epidemiological Dataset for Research, Innovation and Collaboration). This is a testament to their commitment to data-driven healthcare.
CEDRIC’s goal is simple: Connecting patient records from different points of care to build a seamless view of each patient’s journey, from first presentation through diagnosis, treatment and recovery. As Professor Paul Middleton, the District’s Chief Medical Information Officer, puts it, every single data point across this journey can influence outcomes and care quality.
But as the region’s population grew, the sheer scale of data in CEDRIC began to overwhelm the existing systems, making it difficult to get timely insights.
Accelerating patient insights with on-premises AI system
Healthcare organisations are rightly cautious about sending sensitive data to external cloud platforms.
The clinicians and researchers at the District had the vision, the data, and the clinical expertise. What they needed was a way to overcome the computational limits holding them back, all while keeping their data securely on-site.
That’s where Fujitsu’s AI Test Drive program played a critical role. Fujitsu, the global digital experience leader, partnered with the District to deliver a market-leading NVIDIA DGX POD platform, equipped with eight A100 GPUs and high-speed networking, installed directly in its own data centre.
This powerful infrastructure allowed the District to test and adopt advanced generative AI securely.
The platform ensures:
- Secure, local curation and processing of all data, protecting patient identity,
- Zero compromise on privacy or regulatory compliance,
- Close technical collaboration to tune the solution for the District’s unique workflows and requirements.
Improved clinical decision support through faster, smarter insights
The result is a major leap forward in the District’s ability to improve both clinical decision support and operational outcomes. With the enhanced CEDRIC platform, researchers and clinicians can now analyse large, complex datasets in minutes instead of days.
This has supercharged their abilities to innovate:
- Better clinical decision support: Clinicians get AI-driven insights right when they need them, from the Emergency Department to specialised units.
- Automated workflows: The system uses Natural Language Processing to automate tasks like clinical coding, saving valuable time and reducing errors.
- Advanced research: It connects different data sources to speed up trauma identification and uncover new ways to improve patient outcomes.
Processing and fine-tuning large AI models over anonymised hospital records now takes hours, not weeks. This creates real opportunities to improve safety and quality across the entire health system.
Leading the way in responsible AI adoption
The pioneering work at the District shows what’s possible when brilliant clinical minds are empowered by responsible, scalable AI.
Through its collaboration with Fujitsu, the District has proven that Australian healthcare providers can embrace the latest technology while earning patient trust and meeting the most stringent privacy standards.
As healthcare continues its digital transformation, the District’s pioneering approach offers a clear roadmap.
By partnering on ethical, state-of-the-art solutions, we can build an innovative and safe health system that improves outcomes for every community we serve.