As the health and care landscape in England continues to evolve, the NHS is navigating a series of pivotal changes aimed at improving service delivery and patient outcomes. 

At Stand, we are committed to staying at the forefront of these developments, providing insights and support to help drive effective change. 

This June, we are excited to be attending NHS ConfedExpo 2024. We’re looking forward to meeting with industry leaders and stakeholders to discuss some of the most pressing issues in NHS service change. 

But what are we thinking about here at Stand?

Estates and infrastructure

The NHS’s physical infrastructure is a critical component of its ability to deliver high-quality care, but many buildings are in dire need of repair.

With an ageing estate and increasing demand for services, there is a pressing need for modernisation. This includes not only refurbishing existing facilities but also strategically planning new builds to meet future healthcare needs. But how can we do that with limited access to capital?

The New Hospital Programme has been working for five years now on developing future hospitals, but pace is slow and funding is limited to certain Trusts. 

At Stand we’re thinking about how the public, for whom many of these buildings have sentimental and community value, can be engaged with to develop estate solutions that meet future needs while remaining community driven. We’ve worked with Trusts to review community services, and to make plans for changes to urgent care that take a multi-Trust approach at a provider collaborative level.

Digital transformation

Digital transformation is often spoken about as a critical factor in unlocking greater potential in service delivery.

We think that one of the most exciting areas for digital transformation is the use of greater digital tools to engage people and communities in change programmes. But there are also risks associated with this new technology, from access all the way to AI and bots intruding on paid-for public workshops.

We’ve had the great fortune of working with a number of clients where we’ve been able to leverage greater access to digital technology in the general public.

From livestreaming public hearings, launching and managing social media campaigns, to running online telephone interviews and focus groups, access to the public through digital tools has never been easier. And our experience has helped us to understand what the risks of these digital tools may be, and how we can work best to mitigate them.

Making change with limited capital

Financial constraints are an ongoing significant challenge for the NHS, particularly when it comes to capital funding for major service changes.

The upcoming General Election could introduce big shifts in the amount of capital that the NHS receives. This remains a big ‘if’ in the world of health and social care, however, and doesn’t resolve the pressing capital issues of today.

Despite these limitations, there are innovative approaches to service redesign that we’ve been fortunate to support. Sometimes these changes can bring emotive changes to the landscape of healthcare in a system. We’ve seen firsthand what the power that public and community engagement in these changes can do when it comes to making change with limited capital.

Integrated Care Systems and Provider Collaboratives

The introduction of Integrated Care Systems (ICS) in 2022 has changed a lot about the way that healthcare organisations can commission and deliver services. 

Since then we’ve also seen that Provider Collaboratives can play a great role in better organising the way that services are delivered locally. 

ICB Boards are still settling into their role as commissioners of a larger landscape of healthcare, and it hasn’t helped that they’ve been instructed to reduce their workforce to reflect restricted spending. Understanding the power and potential of these new organisations is going to be crucial to delivering transformative services in the future.

We’ve worked with lots of ICBs and provider collaboratives to support them to explore how they can work with the public to understand the changing needs of their local population.

Putting people at the heart of decision making 

We’re really excited to soon be talking to our friends at Care Opinion and The Point of Care Foundation about patient experience as the starting point for major service change as part of our podcast, Not A Consultation.

In difficult financial circumstances it can be really difficult for NHS organisations to invest time and energy into developing meaningful involvement strategies with patients and the public. 

This is where Stand really shines. We know from our experience that the best changes to services are made in partnership with the people who use those services. 

Our aim at Expo is to show everyone how our work to date has meaningfully involved the public in decisions about health and care, and how that involvement has positively shaped the future of those services – including how they’re managed and how much they cost to deliver.

Say hello to us at stand A23 at NHS ConfedExpo 2024!

We are thrilled to be a part of NHS ConfedExpo 2024, where we will delve into these critical topics and more. Our team will be on hand to share our insights and learn from others in the field. We invite you to visit our stand, engage with our experts, and hear how we can support you and your programmes to make change with the voice of patients and the public at its heart.

Blog by: Jonny Williams