In early 2022, we were approached by Nick Hower – Chief Exec of a Calderdale & Huddersfield-based healthcare firm providing homecare to elderly and vulnerable people. With their team working across the area, they needed a way to allow employees to communicate and collaborate with each other whilst out-and-about. This included accessing records and files, and amending them easily on mobile phones. Perhaps most importantly, the majority of their team still work on paper (with some never even touching a computer!) – so any system we propose must be easy-to-use. The system must be secure and meet strict healthcare GDPR Data Protection and Information Governance standards – especially considering the sensitive nature of information they process.
Our approach
Working with the care team, we observed and looked at how they currently work – allowing us to spot opportunities for using IT more efficiently. Through speaking directly with those most impacted by any new IT systems, we understood that any system must work from anywhere, and be available instantly – waiting for systems to boot up and sign-on simply isn’t an option given their limited time. Alongside liaising with the care team, we spoke with the Senior Leadership Team to understand their long-term vision for the company – allowing us to recommend systems that support their future growth.
The results
Through implementing Office 365 from Microsoft, teams were able to access work resources (including policies, documents and forms) from any location on any device. This reduced the need for staff to come into the office at all – saving time, and improving productivity. With Microsoft Teams, care staff were able to connect with each other through a mobile-phone app, with instant messaging and video conferencing allowing staff to securely discuss patient and work information from any location. To support this, we provided the team with 5G internet hotspots – meaning no need to have access to WiFi.
For the Leadership Team, having the ability to quickly relay important information removed the need for manually e-mailing (and even posting) information out. Systems integrated seamlessly into their existing IT systems and mobile phones – meaning little need to spend a fortune on new devices. Equally, with everything stored centrally through OneDrive and SharePoint, the need for storing documents in shared network drives (and typically spending hours looking for one document) was gone. Finally, the ability to access everyones work calendar and shifts meant scheduling meetings was a breeze.
Chief Operating Officer, Nick Hower, quoted “Three months on, it’s making a massive difference to our teams – staff say they feel more connected and in-touch with us, and linking everyone up with technology really helps build that sense that everyone’s working towards the same goals. Our staff aren’t particularly computer literate, and Tom and the Urban team really understood this when presenting the options to us – and the ongoing support and training sessions meant we never felt in the lurch. Happy to discuss and recommend this firm to anyone – truly first class service!”