The NHS is facing a period of unprecedented change; the organisation as a whole must successfully deliver against a reform agenda aimed at providing devolution, patient choice, plurality and increased efficiency.
NHS organisations face specific reform challenges, including widespread service reconfiguration, the introduction of new providers, realising the Patient Choice agenda and providing improved access to services all of which must be augmented by improved standards of care.
Facing the challenge
To successfully deliver NHS reform trusts must become more agile and flexible in the way they provide services and respond to new requirements. Implementing a leading edge ICT infrastructure provides a strategic resource capable of achieving the agility and flexibility necessary to meet the changing demands of healthcare.
BT has a long-standing record of working closely with the health sector to provide innovative and cost effective IT solutions that support process rationalisation and the development of new care models. As a key contributor to the National Programme for Information Technology, BT is helping to implement the platform lying at the heart of NHS reform.
Service redesign
Improving staff efficiency, re-engineering business processes and developing new models of health service delivery are critical components of NHS plans to invest in and deliver innovative services.
Through implementing state-of-the-art IT infrastructure solutions enabling innovative services, BT is at the forefront of the drive to deliver service redesign. Our solutions can enable the NHS to make the best use of resources, more efficiently use staff time and release much needed funds to front line service provision.
Transforming IT infrastructure is increasingly seen as a key enabler in the drive to redesign service in the NHS. By taking advantage of converged networks capable of handling voice and data traffic, NHS organisations can help drive down costs, improve processes and divert resources to front line health services. Many NHS trusts are already taking advantage of converged network architecture to improve internal processes and deliver enhanced services.
ICT also provides the platform to redesign existing services, for example, by providing community nurses with mobile access to e-mail and electronic patient records on the move. The flexibility of a mobile-enabled workforce has obvious benefits in helping increase productivity and improve the working lives of NHS employees.
BT can provide a suite of applications including blood tracking, positive patient identification, and asset management across a secure wireless infrastructure in a fully managed service to help improve patient care, deliver efficiency savings and aide flexible working. Opening up information systems, applications and data at the point of care in this way can increase flexibility by promoting changes to working practices and allowing tasks to be completed in real time.
Making the decision
In a recent survey for BT almost 75 per cent of the respondents said that flexible working would be of benefit to their organisations. Yet only 14 per cent said that their organisations had run flexible working pilots, and only 12 per cent said that they had put together business cases.
BT is well placed to help the NHS realise the full potential of flexible working. We can act as your consultant in putting together a tailored and structured approach to flexible working which empowers your staff and benefits patients.
BT's track record in this area is unparalleled. It has managed flexible working change programmes on behalf of some of the largest organisations in the public sector.
Finding the right partner
Increasingly, NHS trusts are turning to third party providers of ICT enabled solutions in the drive to improve key business, clinical and operational objectives. Through entering into strategic partnerships, NHS organisations are taking a more proactive approach to patient care and benefiting from critical organisational transformations.
BT has been a trusted provider of ICT services to the health sector for many years, a fact recognised by the award of three major contracts within the NHS National Programme for Information Technology (NPfIT). BT's commitment to enabling NHS reform is testament to the shared understanding and cultural fit that exists between both organisations.
Our own corporate experience, underpinned by a thorough understanding of the needs of the health sector, was a significant driver in the choice by NHS Trusts across the country to partner with BT. As a leading UK ICT provider with a wealth of health sector experience, backed up by the financial strength, stability and durability of one of the world's leading telecommunications companies, BT plays a critical role in NHS modernisation.