The NHS is constantly under the microscope as it faces one of its biggest challenges yet; creating substantial savings whilst also maintaining the highest service. Many of the regional Sustainability and Transformation Partnership (STP) plans identified the role that digital collaboration, across NHS organisations, plays in the move to streamline and improve efficiencies, but can more be done?
With the target set at £25 billion in productivity savings, the NHS must act swiftly to get anywhere near the required savings by 2030. Key digital efficiency enablers are already in operation by some Trusts, others should take note and invest now for long-term operational efficiencies.
Improving NHS Digital Collaboration
The key benefit of collaboration through digital systems all comes back to knowledge. Creating a knowledge-centred infrastructure improves access for front-line medical staff to critical patient data.
This data is not limited to individual Trusts, but sourced from any NHS organisation; primary to secondary care, mental health Trusts, etc. Medical staff across these organisations can all securely access the patient information needed to perform their service, with more knowledge.
This empowers medical staff to deliver the very best service but also complete their job more quickly. Equally, patients have confidence in medical practitioners and the service they are receiving.
This shared knowledge, aided by collaboration across groups of NHS organisations, will increase productivity, taking steps towards the cost savings outlined. Yet, how can organisations safely control access management?
Digital Access Critical to Success
Collaboration of data will only be successful if the NHS can work towards a securely accessed network. Ensuring that access to sensitive patient data cannot be infiltrated by external criminals or unauthorised staff members.
With an NHS workforce in excess of 1.2 million, managing even a fraction of this amongst a small group is extremely challenging without the systems in place to automate staff management, ensuring records are kept up-to-date and accurate in all systems.
BDS Solutions’ Directory Manager, syncs data across ESR, NHSmail and Active Directory to ensure effective identity and access management of the workforce When collaborating with other NHS organisations and enabling data access to a wider pool of people, closely managing joiners, leavers and those moving within the organisation, will be crucial to protect patient data.
Our diagnosis? NHS organisations have more to do to achieve the £25 billion productivity cost savings, but digital enhancements to share patient data are a critical factor to do so. For successful collaboration, close management of employee access to this sensitive data must be central to any collaboration strategy.