The healthcare industry is still battling with the worsened backlog following the pandemic. With waiting times making the news and strikes sweeping the nation, NHS hospitals need support in efficiently tackling the backlog.
According to The Digital Healthcare Show,
Digital solutions will play a pivotal role in overcoming the huge challenges faced by the NHS and in creating a more efficient, streamlined and powerful healthcare system.
Workspace booking software can be critical in helping health facilities better monitor and utilise space. Cloubooking’s management system operates efficiently to improve workflow, reduce operative costs, and integrate within NHS systems.
Healthcare Is Feeling the Squeeze
The Guardian reports that the NHS is at war with its staff. Nurses are planning a second strike on May 6th, and the NHS is taking the bitter dispute to court. Nurses are demanding better pay, and The Royal College of Nursing declared the first strike action in its history back in November 2022.
The backlog is growing. Staff are struggling to meet demand without modern technology to improve efficiency. NHS administration has faced challenges when attempting to implement large change management programmes, which is unsurprising given its size and complexity. An electronic sign-in screen at your local GP still isn’t guaranteed.
A letter published in the Financial Times argues, “The NHS must embrace innovations in healthcare delivery if it is to seriously address persistent patient backlogs”. Despite throwing money at the problem, the government still hasn’t implemented a practical solution:
The government handed almost half a billion pounds to private healthcare companies to fix the NHS backlog last year, yet is still struggling to treat any more patients than it was. – Open Democracy
The operational functions of the NHS are up for public debate. The biggest employer in the UK faces the most significant organisational challenge of its history as the hybrid and remote revolution takes hold across the world of work. It is impossible to downplay the monumental task facilities managers in the healthcare sector face. Pushing culture development and functional change across millions of employees – many of whom are set in their ways – is challenging.
Cloudbooking is uniquely placed to execute healthcare management solutions. We’ve worked with multiple Trusts implementing efficient room and desk booking to ease the road for NHS workers. We know the NHS employee profile and the challenges around implementing change management programmes, and we manage it as part of our implementation.
The Future Of Office Management In Healthcare
The ‘Smart Office‘ is already here, a hi-tech workplace that uses analytics and connected technology to help people work more efficiently and productively. Managed Healthcare Executive (MHE) has highlighted that:
To reliably maintain capacity and support future care innovation, managed healthcare systems must review the dynamics of the current workplace and the ongoing evolution of healthcare delivery. – MHE.
Indeed, only some people must be in the office simultaneously, and administrative staff can often work from any location. It is often space for patient care that needs to be improved. Moreover, managing real estate more efficiently is a game-changer.
The world now recognises workplace innovation as a priority. The Financial Times has recently zoned in on office life, and its article ‘Why the new workplace is a work in progress’ addressed the changes that have inevitably occurred.
“We are at a point of real change”, says Peter Cheese, Chief Executive of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, the UK body for HR professionals. “We’ve needed it. Our working practices have barely changed since the industrial era.” – Financial Times.
We are a long way from the industrial era. Virtual Reality is already making waves in the healthcare sector, as trainee doctors use it to prepare for their future careers. Artificial Intelligence guides surgeons’ hands as they perform complex procedures requiring dexterity beyond human capacity.
Furthermore, The Internet of Things can provide data insights to manage space and monitor department footfall. SaaS can integrate seamlessly with existing NHS and private sector software to upscale efficiency and better manage people in the workplace. Technology can improve the quality of care and the speed of its delivery.
The technology is here. Ready. Now! It’s time we put it to work.
The Shifting Work Landscape
The UK government has announced plans to open 50 new surgical hubs. Hubs will welcome clinicians and patients from across the country, and sites won’t require staff to stay fixed to one location. This project will require mammoth organisation and monitoring to ensure these hubs function efficiently.
National Health Executive has described the plans for the hubs as:
Modular, standalone units, surgical hubs will provide the much-needed clinical capacity to support the 6.6 million backlog the UK currently faces. The innovative facilities can be delivered away from main hospital buildings on almost any type of land site – at a remarkably fast rate when compared with traditional brick and mortar facilities – NHE.
An operation with this many moving targets will require complex data tracking. Individual sites must ensure room availability for all these new patients and clinicians without causing more logistics issues for those who have long waited for their time under the knife. Additionally, as the NHS strives to be more agile and catch up following Covid-19, the healthcare industry will need our expertise to ensure full functionality across these sites.
Health Secretary Steve Barclay said these hubs would provide at least 100 more operating theatres and 1,000 more beds. The operation will target delivering almost two million extra routine procedures over the next three years. As the backlog from Covid-19 continues to cause last-minute cancellations to elective surgeries, these surgical hubs will focus mainly on providing high-volume, low-complexity surgery, such as cataract surgeries and hip replacements.
Space management, entry systems to check in patients and staff, and car parking for patients and staff attending these surgeries will be essential to effectively deliver on the promise of reducing the backlog.
Our Solution
Cloudbooking has over two decades of experience providing world-class Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) resource booking and workplace collaboration software. Our innovative solutions enable NHS clients like NHS Sussex, NHS Lincolnshire, and North London West NHS to optimise desk, room, resource, and estate usage, enhancing productivity, working efficiency, and cost savings. ICBs can therefore focus on delivering their core function of providing high-quality patient care.
Cloudbooking successfully delivered a reliable and highly effective workspace management system at our BNSSG CCG Bristol office. – NHS BNSSG Clinical Commissioning Group.
We have extensive experience working with NHS Digital for core integrations like SSO and Outlook integration. Our software deploys at high volume and low cost, with maximum stability and reliability. With Cloudbooking, colleagues can easily search for team members and reserve spaces, facilitating collaboration and creating a seamless workplace experience. Our software also offers valuable insights into occupancy rates, empowering organisations to make informed decisions about their broader workplace strategy.
Our proven track record of supporting healthcare organisations across the UK makes Cloudbooking the perfect partner for your NHS or private healthcare organisation.
