GPSJ Autumn 2024 ONLINE - Flipbook - Page 19
NHS & HEALTHCARE
Both countries are dealing with
complex systems and can spend
too much time on administrative
tasks instead of focusing on
providing care. Even given more
mature back-o昀케ce tech adoption,
it’s estimated that 40% of time
lost to administration by Dutch
healthcare workers.
As a UK-headquartered
昀椀rm originally founded in the
Netherlands, Workspace 365
works with many Dutch healthcare
providers to provide personalised,
simple digital workplaces, which
can lend invaluable insights for the
UK’s NHS.
Here, Workspace 365 CEO and
co-founder, Erik Nicolai, discusses
recent examples of this in action.
Tailoring the digital
workplace for individual
healthcare workers
Savant Zorg operates seven
nursing and care homes and
provides home care in Helmond,
the Netherlands. To keep its
1,800 employees informed about
important company, department,
and location news, Savant Zorg
had used its intranet, Savantplein,
for years. However, it wasn’t
clear if the information was
reaching all employees meaning
additional communications were
sometimes sent via email or the
electronic patient record. This led
to employees being overwhelmed
with information and uncertainty
about where to 昀椀nd what they
needed.
Furthermore, healthcare
professionals often had to waste
time searching for relevant
information and applications,
particularly home care sta昀昀, who
were di昀케cult to engage due to
rarely using computers.
To overcome these challenges,
the 昀椀rm implemented a single
digital workplace that combined
all applications, information and
communication in one place,
tailored to employees’ individual
needs. Using a relevance matrix,
they identi昀椀ed the essential
information and tools for speci昀椀c
roles.
For home care sta昀昀, a simpli昀椀ed
mobile version of the workplace
was developed, ensuring they had
access to everything they needed
while on the go.
The new digital workplace
ensures that employees see
only relevant information and
applications, keeping everyone
better informed and streamlining
internal communication.
Intranets are a crucial tool
to keep employees engaged,
informed, and inspired. However,
in a sector where time is precious,
it is essential that content is
relevant and adds value, which
is what Savant Zorg has now
achieved.
Providing healthcare
workers with e昀케cient
access to information
ActiVite, a healthcare organisation
in South Holland, was struggling
to provide employees with
e昀케cient access to information
and communication. The existing
SharePoint intranet contained
valuable information, but sta昀昀
found it di昀케cult to navigate,
particularly those who spent little
time at a computer.
Healthcare workers struggled
to 昀椀nd information quickly, and
the information available was not
tailored to their needs. The system
simply did not address the daily
needs of sta昀昀, hindering e昀케ciency
and engagement.
Additionally, ActiVite’s complex
IT landscape further hindered
productivity, with various
functionalities across di昀昀erent
systems needing to align with
the skills and requirements of its
healthcare workers while meeting
the highest security standards.
It was key to 昀椀nd a seamless,
accessible digital experience that
supported its healthcare teams
in providing quality care while
ensuring security and simplicity.
By deploying a centralised
digital workplace, which
consolidated tools and information
tailored to the individual needs,
the 昀椀rm was able to improve
accessibility, e昀케ciency and sta昀昀
engagement.
For the UK’s NHS, which has
similar legacy systems, the ability
to integrate into one platform is
critical. This will ensure workers
have easy access to the tools
they need, empowering them
to focus on patient care rather
than navigating complex IT
infrastructures.
The challenge of fragmented
patient information
Healthcare is evolving: clients
with complex needs frequently
require support from multiple
providers. Last year, €94 million
was invested in the Dutch
healthcare sector to enhance
collaboration between key
stakeholders, including hospitals,
health institutions, disability care
organisations, nursing homes,
home care providers, and
patient associations, as well as
suppliers of medical devices and
medications (ICT&health, 2024).
In many cases, caregivers
from various organisations
support the same client, but
critical client information often
remains fragmented across
multiple IT systems. For e昀昀ective
collaboration, providers need
access to each other’s systems
to view vital client data. This
presents new challenges, such
as the requirement to log into
multiple systems repeatedly,
increasing both security risks and
administrative demands. These
challenges result in back-o昀케ce
burdens, higher costs and hinder
collaboration between healthcare
GPSJ
providers.
Healthcare organisation PSW,
which specialises in supporting
individuals with intellectual
disabilities, encountered these
obstacles.
In response, the Limburg-based
昀椀rm created a digital partner portal
which provided a single location
where all relevant information is
easily accessible to its partners.
This enables simple knowledgesharing and information
exchange across partnerships,
via a single login. It also ensures
access to critical information
while enhancing security and
collaboration.
The portal now o昀昀ers direct
access to key documents, such
as Electronic Health Records
(EHRs) care protocols, and
visibility of patient updates, all in
one place, saving time, reducing
workloads and ensuring the best
collaborative care is provided.
For the UK’s multiagency
approach to healthcare, where
there can often be multiple
providers involved in a patient’s
care, it’s critical to ensure e昀케cient
and safe collaboration and
knowledge-sharing to achieve the
best patient outcomes.
Experiences of Dutch
healthcare providers, such
as Savant Zorg, ActiVite, and
PSW, highlight how centralised
digital platforms can streamline
communication, improve
information access, and foster
collaboration.
Adopting similar solutions in the
NHS could help address these
embedded issues, ensuring more
e昀케cient and patient-centred care.
GOVERNMENT AND PUBLIC SECTOR JOURNAL WINTER 2024/2025
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