Not a week goes by without another headline about the incredible new technologies transforming the way we access and deliver healthcare. From AI tools which can speed up discharges and save clinicians’ time, to automated treatment pathways that slash waiting lists and give patients instant access to care, our NHS is developing an ever-more digital ‘front door’.
While digital progress on the frontline must be celebrated, we must ensure this level of innovation is reflected across the entire health service. A significant proportion of digital investment we see in the NHS is specifically targeted at clinicians and patients, to support direct care delivery. Understandably so. Anything that makes the lives of overstretched frontline teams easier and improves access for patients is positive.
Nevertheless, there is a risk that this focus on clinicians is preventing us from seeing the whole picture. Because for those working “behind the scenes” – the operations managers, service planners and rostering specialists who keep our service ticking – there remains a chronic lack of digital support and progress.
To build a truly digital NHS, this has to change. Healthcare leaders and innovators must do more to ensure that the solutions they introduce are there to support everyone, including those working away from the frontline.
Having worked as an NHS rostering specialist for over a decade, I’ve experienced this struggle first-hand. Whether it’s battling with the time-consuming torture of manually building out rotas, or trying to access critical information which is siloed across any number of outdated and disjointed IT systems, so much of the infrastructure I relied on – and that my colleagues are still grappling with – is simply not fit for purpose.
And this isn’t just about making our lives a bit easier. It has real consequences: for patients, staff, and the NHS as a whole. Because without the right tools to support them, workforce teams are being asked to do their jobs with one hand tied behind their backs. The result? Rosters that don’t match up with service plans, doctors being given unfair shift patterns, and last-minute scrambles to plug gaps using temporary workers. All of these things come at a cost, to NHS finances, but also to staff morale.
In an NHS that’s struggling to turn the tide against an ongoing retention crisis, frustrations over faulty tech and a lack of support are a real factor driving talented colleagues to the door. Almost half of NHS staff cite the standard of technology available to them as a key source of stress. And when new tech is implemented, many feel they aren’t given adequate support and training to make the most of it. Research shows that up to 75% of NHS staff are suffering from some form of digital skills gap, while growing numbers are citing fears over new tech as a key reason for leaving the sector.
None of these things are inevitable. While it’s true that the current two-tiered approach to tech fails to reflect the importance of those working “behind the scenes”, it doesn’t have to be like this. It is absolutely possible to deliver world-class digital solutions for clinicians, while at the same time ensuring the people responsible for managing them are given equal support. By building and implementing tailored digital solutions for staff at every level of our NHS, we can help them deliver a faster, more efficient and more productive NHS.
The good news is that solutions are out there and many Trusts are already seeing the benefit. Take Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust, for example, which recently announced that they’d saved over half a million pounds in staffing costs since implementing a new e-rostering platform and digital staff bank to help managers fill shifts. Or Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust, which this year became the first healthcare organisation in Europe to gain HIMSS stage six validation for its use of data science and analytics to increase productivity and drive efficiencies across the Trust. Examples like these are testament to the incredible impact that a more joined-up approach to digital transformation could have across the NHS as a whole.
If healthcare leaders are serious about building an NHS that’s fit for the future, then that has to include everybody. While the headlines will, understandably, be dominated by those on the frontline, giving “behind the scenes” staff bespoke digital solutions to streamline their work is critical to creating a more efficient, productive health service. Fail to do this, and we’ll entrench the reality of a two-tier workforce that struggles to deliver sustainable change.
About the author: Daniel Chilcott is an NHS rostering specialist with over a decade’s experience working in and with workforce teams at Trusts including Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, Epsom & St Helier University Hospitals Trust and Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust. He’s now Head of Client Enablement at NHS staffing initiative Patchwork Health, where he works with over 200 healthcare organisations across the country, helping to make flexible, sustainable staffing a reality for clinicians and managers.
