Introducing a patient-led innovation programme into the NHS with Guy's and St. Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust
Services
- Discovering and validating
- Prototyping and iterating
- Building in-house digital capabilities
Improving how key NHS services are delivered
- Establishing a sustainable approach to transformation
- Increasing engagement with patients, staff and key stakeholders
- Embedding core skills within NHS teams and departments
- Over 20 new digital and non-digital opportunities identified to date
50+
Patients interviewed
20
New digital and non-digital opportunities identified
Establishing sustainable innovation
The NHS is under enormous pressure with growing demand for services, increasing numbers of patients and a constant drive to find cost-savings. As one of the UK's biggest providers of specialised services, with 2m+ contacts each year, Guy's and St. Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust is no different. The Trust understands that it needs to establish a sustainable and transformational approach in digital innovation for providing improved, more efficient services to their patients.
“It's very clear to me, as a service lead, that we've got to change the way we do things in the NHS. Working with Unboxed is a huge opportunity to rethink the way in which we deliver our services more efficiently.”
Dr. Toby Garrood, Consultant Rheumatologist, Guy's and St. Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust
Starting small to identify opportunities
Beginning with three exemplar departments (Children's Allergy, Rheumatology and Dermatology), the programme started with patient interviews to begin engaging further and gathering insights around current service experiences. Opportunities such as more valuable first appointments, unsustainable waste and inefficiency in processes were identified as just some of the highest-priority areas of focus.
“One of the most transformative things is simply getting out of my clinic room, sitting in the waiting room, interacting with patients and talking to them. What they tell you face-to-face is very different to what they tell you on a feedback form.”
Dr. Toby Garrood, Consultant Rheumatologist, Guy's and St. Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust
Opening up a user-centred approach to working
Exploring further into inefficiency in processes led to discovering that patient referrals lack the efficiencies to ensure maximum value is delivered at the first appointment. Difficulty in accessing GP notes, growing time constraints, complex systems and patients not knowing what to expect have led to opportunities in identifying key information that can be provided by patients before an appointment, ensuring their first appointment is as valuable as possible.
60%
Completion rate of face-to-face surveys
5
Departments engaged in the programme
Establishing the direction forward for improved services
Since launching, the innovation programme has generated and identified over 20 new digital and non-digital opportunities for the Trust, as well as achieving an increase in levels of engagement across patients, staff and key stakeholders. New and innovative approaches are now being introduced into a number of core NHS departments, beginning the journey to improved and more efficient services for patients.
One of the prioritised services to progress is remote monitoring digital service for rheumatoid arthritis patients, in which Unboxed has worked with Guy’s and St. Thomas’ to successfully launch in South London.
“We've been able to identify the root of many of the problems we are experiencing: patients and doctors are not receiving the right information at the right time. We've now taken an approach to begin engaging patients further in the referral process by including them earlier in the process. Unboxed is working with us to do something differently — we're putting our patients first.”
Dr. Toby Garrood, Consultant Rheumatologist, Guy's and St. Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust