We pride ourselves on being at the forefront of improving health outcomes through the use of technology. Our team has extensive experience in end-to-end programme management and a proven ability to successfully implement change within a variety of environments. We focus on optimisation and avoiding waste and work with our customers to improve their current ways of working and implement new ways of working where needed.
Our skilled workforce works on identifying digital solutions that align with customer requirements, whilst providing key transformational implementation and change advice, guidance and support at all times.
We understand the importance of digital transformation – whether it be something as simple as a roll-out of smart phones, as complex as migrating to a new clinical system, or using robotics to gain efficiencies. NECS supports organisations to maximise the benefits of new technologies and ‘big data’ successfully by delivering agile and effective change management and learning solutions that are appropriate to the digital journey of the customer.
Digital transformation can only provide an effective solution when there is a clear understanding of why the new technology is being introduced, the planned strategy for its implementation and how the new technology will benefit the end user. So, we ensure our teams are at the forefront of digital transformation and strategy, through effective horizon scanning, regular training and ensuring every delivery is in-line with each organisation’s strategic objectives.
Our services
- Large-scale GPIT service delivery, ensuring systems are used optimally to deliver patient care.
- Local level advice and guidance on current digital agendas and strategies.
- Programme Management Office support providing oversight and control.
- An understanding of NHS and care partners’ ways of working.
- Business change and benefits realisation – sharing what we have learned through the customer’s transformation journey.
- Transformational Change Support – providing support for those going through significant change ensuring continuity of services.
- Business analysis and options appraisals to ensure delivery of the right solution – solving problems and avoiding waste.
- Horizon scanning – identifying digital solutions to align with your business requirements and future-proofing customer organisations.
- Enabling a skilled workforce through various learning channels including bespoke content creation and broadcast services.
- Fully remote GPIT clinical system training and system optimisation services, breaking down the challenges of geographical boundaries.
Business Change and Benefits
We believe in the value of people within the NHS and in this constantly evolving environment we feel passionate about supporting staff as they strive to improve the nation’s health.
Our approach is simple, we focus on delivering more of the ‘right things’ and encouraging better use of available resources (money, people, time, energy, and materials). Identifying, measuring, and tracking to ensure the delivery of outcomes.
We will work with you to focus on efficiency, effectiveness, and economy and promote change and learn lessons together, transforming ways of working to maximise value in line with programme and project objectives and stakeholder requirements.
Business Analysts
Our team has decades of experience, working across the NHS and other sectors. Their knowledge and experience gives the team a breadth of understanding of how to support clients and ensure solutions are specific to the client’s requirements, no matter the scenario or environment.
The team is all trained and practiced in Agile methodologies and has a wealth of practical experience using both Agile and Waterfall techniques. They have considerable experience and knowledge providing value to our customers working both within health and social care organisations and the private sector to understand the current state, gather future requirements, gap analysis advice on appropriate solutions and establish a future state that meets the customer’s business and digital needs.
The team is currently supporting the Total Triage regional programme, working with GP practices, PCs and CCGs, supporting the roll out of GP Digital solutions with continued support.
Working closely with Primary Care Network teams, we use specific techniques and methodologies to identify and resolve issues and constraints that hinder the smooth transformation of absorbing digital solutions into the day to processes of a GP practice to improve continuity of patient services with minimum disruption to the practice.
Throughout the pandemic, the team has been supporting the region with various projects to ensure all patients can have access to a GP or clinician and to continually improve patient services.
Supporting GP practices, CCGs, local authorities, NHSE and care homes, as well as other third party organisations, by reviewing changing operational requirements to support digital transformation and providing the necessary analysis to ensure the correct solutions are identified to realise their requirements.
Our Business Analysts have worked on many high-profile projects and programmes at a national level including collaborating with national teams on the creation of standards and guidance for the digitisation of historic paper records as well as providing support in the rapid implementation of a total triage solution as part of the primary care Covid-19 response.
When you are under pressure, having to make decisions that have the potential to affect the organisation for years to come, we have the skills and experience to identify the root cause of your issues and advise the most suitable solution to your specific problem and future requirements as well as supporting in solution implementation.
Programme and Project Management
The Digital Transformation Team Programme and Project Managers are highly qualified experts in project delivery. Our Project Managers hold various internationally recognised qualifications including PRINCE2 and Agile Project Management.
Our Project Management team work with key stakeholders, including but not limited to the Project Sponsor, Subject Matter Experts and suppliers, to understand the expected deliverables, timescales, resources, scope, stakeholder, project tolerance and budgetary parameters. Using NECS Centre of Excellence documentation, key documentation will be produced outlining the vision and objectives of the project and an initial project plan will be developed and baselined. In order to ensure continuous improvement during the project lifetime, Lessons Learned logs are created during each project.
The Project Delivery Team will be mobilised to execute activities outlined in the plan and robust project governance processes will be applied. This includes monitoring progress, robust risk management including capturing, analysing and identifying mitigating steps, capturing known issues to establish a resolution, ensuring quality standards are maintained and producing regular highlight reports and ongoing communications with all stakeholders.
Once all agreed deliverables have been achieved the project will formally close. This is a controlled process, where the quality of outputs is assessed and accepted by the Project Sponsor. To facilitate wider learning, we produce case studies for completed projects, these highlight the challenge and the drivers, the approach taken, and the benefits realised. Also, we produce newsletters to share our experiences with the wider organisation.
We understand that using a more agile approach may be more appropriate depending on the nature of the project, our team are experienced in Agile methodologies and can adapt the approach to a more iterative model. We have a sound understanding of the cyclical process of continuous planning, testing and integration, agreeing requirements using the MoSCoW approach to prioritising deliverables, the use of timeboxing to deliver usable products in short sprints ensuring project cost and timescales are fixed at all times.
P3O Support Office
A Programme and Project Office which provides an audit and control function which will track, assure, and manage the delivery of digital transformation solutions whilst reporting on progress. This is achieved by ensuring all projects are delivered through standardised and consistent methods and processes, governance, knowledge management and quality assurance for all projects. Guaranteeing integrity across projects and alignment with the vision set out in the business strategy, we ensure our customers receive high quality outcomes using internationally recognised methodologies to national, supplier and programme governance requirements.
We have the knowledge, expertise and background that allows us to support even the most challenging projects, tailoring to the bespoke requirements of the projects in hand. The invaluable benefit of our sharing of experiences and an ethos of continual improvement includes every project ending with the collation of lessons learnt, and Quality Audits which means our award-winning team continually improves, resulting in a more efficient and effective organisation.
Customer Service Offering
NECS DTOS team provides project management expertise and guidance to oversee the delivery of the digital programme of work, embedding NECS PMO controls, governance and assurance for the digital programme of work to ensure all projects are delivered on time and budget.
NECS team members who are embedded within customers environments support the development and delivery of the CCG’s digital strategies. Team members are involved in numerous regional and national groups as well as information sharing through the DTOS PMO team. These methods are used to gain extensive knowledge and keep abreast of all national and local guidelines, contracts, frameworks, funding streams, programmes, strategies, etc. which has been an invaluable part of our enhanced service offering. Using this knowledge our team members are skilled at identifying opportunities aligning with existing national programmes, aiding in the development of bids to secure funding.
National Advanced Telephony Programme – Programme and Business Analysis Support
In Phase 1 of this Programme we are supporting regions in deploying advanced telephony solutions to improve their telephony capability. Advanced telephony is a critical enabler in delivering the government’s manifesto commitment for 50 million additional appointments in general practice by 2024/25 and will ensure that practices migrate to a more robust IP-based telephony solution prior to the withdrawal of PSTN lines in 2025. Improved telephony capabilities provide practices with reliable, resilient telephone systems with sufficient capacity and functionality to meet the additional diverse and ongoing demand.
To achieve this, NECS supports regions to complete the following project activities:
- Procure and implement advanced telephony solutions
- Follow and test draft ‘GP Advanced Telephony Specification Commissioning Support Pack’
- Provide regular oversight and reporting to national project team
- Produce final report outlining procurement routes, efficiencies and benefits gained.
GPIT Digital Maturity Discovery for the Modality Partnership
Covering 40 GP practices, the Modality Partnership is one of the largest primary care partnerships, providing primary health care and community services at a national level. Working closely with the Modality group, we undertook a digital discovery exercise to help realise efficiencies through working at scale and realise the benefits of a ‘super partnership’. This provided detailed insight into the digital maturity of the Modality Partnership in line with the requirements outlined within the GPIT Operating Model. Understanding these issues the partnership were facing, and drawing out common themes, contributed to achieving the strategic vision.
The Modality partnership operates over a uniquely large geographical footprint, which is supported by multiple GPIT service/delivery partners, often resulting in differing levels of support and maturity. This unique opportunity to engage with a super partnership offers a valuable insight into issues, gaps, and good practices which will be captured for future sharing and learning purposes.
NECS provided insight through identifying gaps, trends, issues, etc. to will help understand and inform where support needed to be focussed to improve their functionality and enhance collaborative working across all the member practices. Furthermore, the data supported understanding of where investment could be concentrated to ensure maximum benefits were achieved.
Good Practice Guidance – Programme and Project Management Support
The NECS DTOS Team is providing Programme and Project Management resource for the production of the national Good Practice Guidance for Digital Primary Care (version 5).
The revision and publication of the Good Practice Guidance is a priority to:
- provide a comprehensive reference source for primary care staff
- include guidance on the major advancements in technology availability, functionality and use since v4 was published
- help primary care organisations make best use of the technology available to them
- improve searchability and accessibility for users
- reflect changes in legislation
There are 13 high level themes, encompassing around 90 specific topics, each to be published as individual articles. The themes covered are:
- Clinical safety
- Digital programmes – Enablers
- Digital programmes – Reporting and sharing
- Digital programmes – infrastructure
- Patient access
- Patient registrations
- Data recording and record keeping
- Data recording and record management
- The digital future
- Governance and regulations
- Patient facing resources
- Scene setting
- Education and training
The DTOS team is engaging with Subject Matter Experts and primary care colleagues (GPs, Practice Managers, Practice Nurses) in addition to liaising with content creators and expertise from within NECS and partner organisations (NHS Digital, NHS England and NHS Improvement) to author the updated guidelines and ensure that they are fit for purpose.