How did the Digital and Transformation Lead come about?

As demand in the healthcare sector continues to rise, new ways of working, additional roles and the integration of digital in healthcare are becoming more and more commonplace in the NHS. The introduction of these elements is reshaping the way GPs and senior managers in general practice or Primary Care Networks, provide and manage patient services; but delivering successful primary care transformation is a tall order…

Enter the Digital and Transformation Lead, the proposed solution to the challenges that come with transformation. A role that promises to provide transformation expertise and overcome digital integration barriers. But is this always the case?

The job description for Digital and Transformation Lead is significant, deep and wide, and finding the right person to tick all the boxes makes for a unicorn job hunt. However, this is Redmoor Health’s speciality!

How can Redmoor Health offer Digital and Transformation Lead support?

When the Digital and Transformation Lead additional role was introduced last October for Primary Care Networks, Redmoor Health was asked by our primary care colleagues if we could combine our skillset and expertise in primary care digital health into a service offer, in a way that complements and integrates with a PCN senior team.

Redmoor Health already had an established team of experts from across general practice, at-scale primary care, communications services and supplier systems; all with the experience of supporting hundreds of GP practices, Primary Care Networks, GP Federations and Commissioners at both ICB and national levels.  We took the call to action and set up the Digital Managed Service (DMS).

Redmoor Health still gets asked a lot,

“I don’t know what I would need or use a Digital and Transformation Lead for”.

One myth is that Digital and Transformation Leads only look at digital, absolutely not!

Their seniority is because they can consider the entire PCN position, work through complexities and identify where digital assets would add value and support the PCN to meet the roadmap of the changing landscape.

That’s why Redmoor Health has partnered with DKJ Support Services to complement and support with their significant expertise in transformation and compliance for PCNs.

Digital Managed Service Digital and Transformation Lead benefits:

• Closely supporting GP practices to think about how to optimise their existing systems
• Optimising and improving clinical or administrative pathways to support income generation and performance against QOF, IIF and CQC
• Improving digital patient access and therein their confidence and satisfaction
• Reducing or removing admirative workload through assisted technology like automation and AI
• Improving job satisfaction for primary care team and helping build workforce resilience
• Synergising staff teams to work as clinical or administrative hubs
• Implementing patient systems to support self-care
• Developing virtual group clinics
• Taking services into the community without needing to travel through wearable devices
• Improving care navigation through semi-automated, self-service
• Creating data monitoring tools with visual dashboards by using primary care population health data, to help healthcare organisations make informed decisions and reach patients with additional communications needs
• Supporting patient communications and engagement through, messaging, social media, google, websites and offline resources
• Business and service improvements

How can a service fulfil the Digital and Transformation Lead role?

We have built upon the sound and evidenced-based approach of our Digital Journey Planner, developed with NHS England, to bring to life excellent in-person support as part of the Digital Managed Service. The Digital Managed Service has a team of highly qualified digital lead specialists assigned to support each primary Care Network on the service.

Having a digital lead specialist who is backed up by a team of 40+ skillset experts means the Digital Managed Service provides an unmatched level of capability to Primary Care Networks. Our diverse team helps us to coach, guide and demonstrate that not only does the transition enhance patient outcomes but it also optimises operational efficiencies, curtails financial waste, and fosters staff retention. All of which supports the transition to Modern General Practice Access.

In addition to this as a leading healthcare digital solutions company Redmoor Health also bring a large roster of self-help tools for you and your teams to self-serve; meaning you will never be reliant on us or just one individual to make the changes you need, instead, we build capacity within your whole team.

The team are also a delivery partner with the NHS England Transformation team in identifying and supporting the production of Primary Care blueprints. Blueprints are the documented work of your peers, with the same issues and challenges, who have managed to progress, innovate or transition their services or support systems and advance their digital position. This oversight of the entire primary care sector allows us to ensure you are always getting the best advice as part of the Digital Managed Service

Do GP practice and Primary Care Networks need new digital systems for transformation?

Much of the digital systems required are already in or available to practice but are often not used or adopted in an optimal way.  But who, in current times, has the capacity and skillset to do this work, I hear you say! This is where our digital lead specialists come in.

Let’s face it some admin tasks are a mind-numbing conveyor belt!  We are desperate for and to retain staff in Primary Care. Digital health transformation plays a crucial role in addressing the burnout epidemic among healthcare professionals and their teams. Streamlining administrative processes through digital health technologies results in significant time and resource savings and improves job satisfaction. Automated workflows, appointment scheduling systems, and AI-driven diagnostics reduce the burden on healthcare staff, allowing them to focus more on direct patient care. This newfound efficiency translates into shorter wait times, quicker diagnoses, and an overall enhanced patient experience.

The integration of digital tools allows for personalised and preventive care strategies. Wearable devices and health apps empower individuals to actively manage their well-being, monitor chronic conditions, and adhere to treatment plans. This proactive approach not only improves patient compliance but also contributes to better health outcomes and a higher quality of life.

Digital health solutions are key players in cost containment within Primary Care. By minimizing redundant tests through shared EHRs, avoiding unnecessary hospital readmissions through remote patient monitoring, and optimising supply chain management, these technologies contribute to a more financially sustainable healthcare system. The cost savings can be redirected towards improving patient care, our workforce and investing in further technological advancements.

How does Redmoor Health achieve digital implementation and transformation?

Redmoor Health works with the Primary Care Network management teams to baseline using our digital maturity index to understand where you are on your digital journey.  We use data to understand your patients, particularly the way they access our services and their needs, this helps to inform how we shape your services.

From here we move to the design, planning and then implementation phase.

It’s not just about looking at digital assets and tech, it’s about looking and assessing the holistic position of the organisation and working collaboratively as a team to understand the problems, challenges and what your aspirations are.

From that sound foundation, you can then set the outcomes. The current aims of capacity and access are tied into Primary Care Network funding, and this is integrated into the wider Primary Care Network ambitions to ensure compliance and income generation.

Talking about income generation is also a key part of how the digital lead specialists support the Primary Care Network.  Having relationships with ICBs and Regional teams supports the identification of discrete funding pots.  Having spent years setting up and managing Primary Care Networks, the Redmoor Health team knows that Primary Care Networks are often the last to find out about these income pots.

The digital revolution in healthcare is not really a revolution, it is a mirror of the adaption and adoption of how the rest of our world is moving.  The vast majority of use digital solutions to access service and support our day to day lives.  Would you go back to a world where you had to call or walk into your bank to do a transaction, or go into a travel agency to book your holiday?  The challenge we have in Primary Care, along with the wider NHS and Social Care, is we are poor on time. There are funds and systems that support our understanding and transition to more current ways of working.  The support provided by Redmoor Health allows you to focus on your areas whilst we act as your integrated digital change agent, sensitively guiding bitesize changes in a manageable way.

Digital learning, optimisation and service transformation are just a few elements of Redmoor Health support.  Done for the RIGHT reasons and in the RIGHT way, it empowers both patients, you and your teams.

If your passion is digital transformation then come speak to one of our Digital Lead Specialists by contacting hello@redmoorhealth.co.uk