Helping community teams deliver better, more efficient care
As the NHS faces up to the challenge of improving services in a tight fiscal climate, the way community services are structured and supported will be critical.
Some NHS trusts have embraced technology and
This year’s Operating Framework for the NHS in England outlines changes designed to move care from hospitals into the community, with reductions in emergency admissions and improved collaboration between local care services. It says that within five years, the NHS will have “more services closer to home and therefore less investment and activity in the acute sector.”
Over the past six years, O2 has been working with NHS trusts to create tailored programmes to transform healthcare at a local level. At the heart of these initiatives is a commitment to really understanding the working practices of community-based teams, so that solutions can be developed that free up time for patient-facing care.
Community teams have rapidly seen benefits such as: spending fewer hours reporting ‘back to base’; transferring paperwork to a more digital, interactive format; and enhanced flexible and remote team communications. All of which provide sustainable benefits.
NHS Rotherham and Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust are just two examples of organisations in which patients and community teams are seeing the benefits of this tailored partnership approach. For more information or to request a call from O2's health team, email: health@o2.com.
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White paper: community teams 'going mobile'
NHS Rotherham and O2 have been working together to change the way that community health workers do their jobs. This white paper explains how workers have been freed to 33% more time with patients and how patient records across clinical teams have become easier to manage. Download the white paper in pdf format.
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NHS Rotherham’s clinical lead for IT, Paul Chapman, talks about what is driving change at the organisation; its progressive approach to supporting community teams; and how it is harnessing technology to transform community services. |
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Using a digital pen solution, Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust has improved data capture for community midwives and halved the time spent on administration. “It is allowing them more time to spend with expectant mothers, their birthing partners and their babies, which is absolutely fantastic,” says lead midwife Sharon Hackett. |
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