Somerset Partnership NHS Foundation Trust has signed a contract to install BDS Solutions’ Directory Manager software, to improve workflows and reduce admin costs.
Directory Manager allows NHS organisations to use the Electronic Staff Record (ESR) and other administrative systems to automatically manage Active Directory, Exchange and other systems.
Built and designed by BDS specifically for use in the NHS, the software saves Trusts time and money by simplifying the management of staff data. A recent audit of Trusts already using Directory Manager revealed an average reduction of system administration time by the equivalent of 1.25 full-time administrators per 5,000 accounts managed.
Somerset Partnership NHS Foundation Trust has over 4,000 staff within a single domain/forest model in Active Directory. The Trust was seeking ways to improve management of starters and leavers within Active Directory due to the existing time consuming processes.
The Trust had identified the following challenges:
- Utilise ESR data for updating Active Directory accounts, including ESR number
- Control over Active Directory account lifecycle from creation to expiration
- Reduce time spent on user creation and update
- User controlled password reset
- Formal method of de-provisioning accounts using ESR termination dates
- Integrating directory data with additional systems
By choosing to implement Directory Manager, Somerset Partnership NHS Foundation Trust will significantly streamline the management of Active Directory and increase directory data quality, which enables enhanced security and information governance.
The software will also allow the Trust to devolve directory administration to non-technical staff, simplifying user management and provide enhanced reporting.
Tony Ashworth from the Trust said: “We approached BDS in the hope that they would be able to provide us with a system that would allow user self-service and help us save time. What we have been presented with is one system that will streamline all of our processes, from IT to HR and finance, we will be able to save significant amounts of time by using our systems more effectively and allowing users to make certain changes to their own accounts. BDS have provided us with a simple way to improve the way we work, so that we can focus on healthcare outcomes for our patients.”