Month: October 2023

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Hope and Honesty: Reflections on NHS Employers Strategic Workforce conference

Attendance at the strategic workforce conference last week proved to be two days well spent. Reconnecting with former colleagues and friends, forging new connections, and gaining insights into the sector’s pressing issues all made it an enjoyable 48 hours.

All of the speakers brought unique perspectives. From Billy Palmer of The Nuffield Trust sharing some gulp-inducing charts illustrating the workforce plan, to powerful stories from the Prince’s Trust in how they are supporting disadvantaged young people to join our sector, and importantly the observation from David D’Souza of the CIPD, that the Jurassic Park movie could have been over in 10 minutes had they got HR involved at the beginning! It also provided some much-needed space to really reflect on the future of people services in the NHS.

The themes discussed in the CSU breakout session were echoed throughout the event. Workforce optimisation, the NHS Long Term Workforce Plan and scalable people services emerged as the front runners for the title of ‘source of the biggest headache’. Organisational development and culture also received significant attention, emphasising the need for new approaches, skills and a readiness to tackle emerging challenges.

The facilitated sessions and general conversations highlighted interesting trends. These included the growing influence of Generation Z in the workplace, the use of AI and digital solutions, and the necessity of integrating social care into overall workforce strategies.

Our clear take aways were that there is no silver bullet that will solve all the challenges we face, there is never going to be enough money, hours in the day, or people in the team…and lots of you didn’t really know what the CSUs can offer.

We really hope that we have at least plugged the knowledge gap around what we can do to help you and would like to thank those of you who joined our breakout session and chatted to us on our stand or over dinner. We also really felt that ‘hope and honesty’ that Danny Mortimer, NHS employers, flagged early on day two, despite the very real challenges that lie ahead.

To talk more about how we can help ease your headaches, please contact us.

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Strengthening Dudley Integrated Health and Care Trusts operations through programme management

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Our programme management capabilities significantly enhanced the operations of Dudley Integrated Health and Care Trust, ensuring timely project completion and embedding a value-optimising framework for sustained future success in digital and business intelligence initiatives.

Background

Dudley Integrated Health & Care trust initiated a revamped digital plan focusing on six core objectives, translating into approximately 30 projects known as the modified digital and business intelligence programme. NHS Midlands and Lancashire CSU (MLCSU) was enlisted for programme management expertise to guarantee the evolution of capabilities and the realisation of projected benefits by the 2022/23 fiscal year end.

Action

The MLCSU digital programme lead improved in-house management by categorising projects into pipeline, pre-initiation, and in-delivery stages. To align with the trust’s goals, a structured gateway system was established. Several tools, like a resource planner and an electronic project request form, were introduced to support the program. Standardised documentation ensured consistent reviews. For oversight, monthly programme assurance meetings informed the trusts digital board of significant milestones and metrics.

Impact

As of March 2023, the high-priority ongoing projects reached completion, enhancing areas like business intelligence and systems. Additionally, the programme management methodology became an integrated part of the trust’s standard operations. This has equipped the trust with a refined project analysis framework, optimising value for money with each decision.

Feedback

“Jon has led the programme expertly, his years of knowledge and experience is clear for all to see. Having reshaped the previous programme structure to provide greater visibility and increased rigour, Jon worked closely with the Chief Information Officer (CIO) and Dep. CIO to convene the Programme Assurance Group (PAG) which took on the oversight of the entire digital and business intelligence programme previously overseen by digital board. This enabled digital board to focus on projects by exception while taking assurance all projects were subject to a more detailed level of scrutiny. As such, the digital board was able to move to a bi-monthly frequency on the basis PAG was meeting monthly and doing the heavy lifting from a projects and programme perspective. Through the work delivered by Jon and the team, a blueprint has been created that may be applied to any organisation and any programme or portfolio.”

Duncan Robinson Acting Deputy Chief Information Officer, Dudley Integrated Health & Care Trust

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Exploring the future of patient care at the Patient Flow Conference 2023

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We’re pleased to announce that Kelly Bishop, Assistant Director of Nursing and Urgent Care at NHS Midlands and Lancashire Commissioning Support Unit (MLCSU), will chair the Patient Flow Conference South 2023. This event is scheduled for 7 November 2023 at 15 Hatfields, London.

Key subjects at the conference will cover:

1. Increased focus on patient experience. The NHS is placing an increasing emphasis on improving the patient experience, including making it easier for patients to access care, reducing waiting times, and improving the quality of care.

2. Use of technology. The NHS is using technology to improve patient flow and reduce bottlenecks. This includes the use of electronic medical records, appointment scheduling systems, and telemedicine.

3. Integration of care. The NHS is working to better coordinate care across different settings and providers, with the goal of improving patient flow and reducing the need for hospitalisation.

4. Population health management. The NHS is focusing on preventative care and population health management, with the goal of improving the health of the population and reducing demand on the healthcare system.

5. Collaboration and partnerships. The NHS is forming collaborations and partnerships with other organisations, including community-based organisations and private providers, in order to improve patient flow and better meet the needs of patients.

Justine Howe, Head of Urgent Care at NHS MLCSU will be delivering the plenary.

Conference details:

– Date and location: 7 November 2023, 15 Hatfields, Chadwick Court, London SE1 8DJ
– Venue: Sustain ground floor
– Event timing: 8am – 4pm

Secure your spot now: https://www.convenzis.co.uk/events/the-urgent-care–patient-flow-conference-2023

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Supporting an Integrated Care Boards achievement of the race equality code quality mark

Our collaboration resulted in Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent Integrated Care Board (ICB) becoming the first Integrated Care Board in the country to earn the race equality code quality mark, demonstrating their commitment to taking concrete actions and being accountable for creating meaningful change in addressing race inequality and adopting inclusivity.

Background

Our Inclusion Unit was approached by the Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent Integrated Care Board (ICB) to provide support in attaining the race equality code quality mark. This code offers organisations of all sizes and sectors an opportunity to address race inequality within their boardrooms and senior leadership teams. It combines current best practices with innovative thinking to create lasting and transformative change. The code’s “apply and explain” approach allows organisations to describe how they will meet the standards based on their specific circumstances.

Action

Our team supported the comprehensive review of the ICB’s strategic documentation, equality, diversity, and inclusion practices, as well as related documentation, to ensure alignment with the standards of the race equality code. We provided valuable insights and evidence to help embed race equality across these areas, strengthening the ICB’s approach and showcasing their dedication to meaningful change. Additionally, we produced a detailed race equality code statement around the four key principles, which was the final requirement for attaining the quality mark.

Impact

As a result of our collaboration, the Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent ICB became the first Integrated Care Board in the country to be awarded the quality mark by RSM, a leading provider of audit, tax, and consulting services. This achievement demonstrated the ICB’s commitment to taking concrete actions and being accountable for creating change. The assessment process led to the identification of a range of short and long-term actions that will be implemented over the next three years. These actions form a significant part of the ICB’s 2023-2024 equality action plan, demonstrating their proactive approach to addressing race inequality and adopting an inclusive environment.

Feedback

“I am absolutely delighted that the ICB has achieved the quality mark, particularly being the first ICB to be awarded by RSM. This is a testament to the hard work put into the submission to demonstrate real actions and accountability to create change.” Alex Brett |  Chief People Officer | ICB

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Unlocking collaboration and efficiency: Introducing our organisational GitHub account and R package

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Blog by Scott Johnson, Business Intelligence Lead, MLCSU

What are these game-changing tools?

GitHub: the hub of collaboration

The NHS Midlands and Lancashire Commissioning Support Unit (MLCSU) Business Intelligence team is no stranger to innovation. Among our various initiatives, we run Knowledge Sharing Networks (KSNs) aimed at fostering learning and best practice within the organisation.

One such KSN, focused on data science, has spearheaded the development of two technical tools that are essential to increase productivity: an organisational GitHub account and an R package specifically tailored for MLCSU. This blog post aims to introduce these collaborative tools, delve into their purpose, and discuss the strides we’ve made in their development.

The first tool is the MLCSU GitHub account. GitHub is a free platform that serves as a repository for code, facilitating version control and collaboration. As Henry Ford aptly put it, “Coming together is a beginning, staying together is progress, and working together is success.”

Given the vast geographical expanse that MLCSU covers and the diverse projects our Business Intelligence teams are engaged in, it’s crucial to have a centralised platform. GitHub allows us to share automated and reproducible procedures, aligning with NHS Digital’s guidelines on Reproducible Analytical Pipelines (RAP).

We are not alone in this endeavour. In setting up an organisational GitHub account we are following in the footsteps of leading NHS data teams such as:

NHS-R Community
The Strategy Unit
NHS Digital

We’ve already gained valuable insights from our colleagues at the Strategy Unit, which is part of MLCSU, further emphasising the power of collaboration.

MLCSU R package: the efficiency multiplier

The second tool in the pipeline is the MLCSU R package. If GitHub is the vehicle for collaboration, consider the R package as the fuel that powers it.

Designed to streamline the workflow for R users within MLCSU, this package embodies the principle that “You should consider writing a function whenever you’ve copied and pasted a block of code more than twice,” as stated by Hadley Wickham & Garrett Grolemund in their book, “R for Data Science.”

Currently, the MLCSU package includes a function that allows users to directly read data from the MLCSU Business Intelligence SQL server. While this might save only 30-60 seconds per use, the cumulative time-saving potential across multiple users is significant.

Looking ahead: the journey continues

We’re at the nascent stages of our journey into the world of RAP. These tools, although simple in their current form, represent stepping stones towards a more streamlined and collaborative future. The learning curve is steep, but as the saying goes, “small progress is better than none.”

Get involved

If you’re intrigued by our work and would like to contribute to the growing suite of collaborative tools developed by the MLCSU Business Intelligence team, please don’t hesitate to contact Scott Johnson at scott.johnson2@nhs.net.