Children and young people’s data dashboard

A national dashboard our digital, data and analytics team developed to give commissioners and providers a clear picture of children and young people’s care and outcomes went live in April 2023.

It means that children and young people’s programme leads can now easily see regularly updated data on asthma, diabetes, epilepsy, Complications from Excess Weight clinics, and urgent and emergency care. This helps them benchmark their services and make informed decisions on where to focus their efforts and resource.

The dashboard complements other ongoing work our digital, data and analytics experts are doing for NHS England’s Children and Young People Transformation Programme.

For example, they create and update bespoke data packs for programme leads for key areas of focus including asthma, epilepsy, diabetes, urgent and emergency care, elective recovery and waiting lists, and cerebral palsy.

• The numbers and demographics of clinically extremely vulnerable children and young people are now visible, guiding national policy, particularly on vaccination.
• Areas of unwarranted variation and inequalities are clearly visible, prompting action.
• Comparisons between areas are possible, stimulating sharing of learning and best practice.

Award-winning automation speeds up recruitment

The NHS in north central London has slashed its time for bringing in new staff from 30 to 18 days, largely thanks to smart technology.

The initiative, by our Digital Productivity team and North London Partners Shared Services (NLPSS) who support 10 north central London NHS trusts:

• enables successful applicants to complete new starter forms online
• uses robotic process automations (RPA) created by our team to securely transfer that data to other NHS databases
• won the HPMA Award for Smarter Working in 2023.
• Better for applicants

• Faster, smoother processes.

• Time saved on processing forms is freed up for other tasks.
• Vacancies in clinical and non-clinical teams are filled faster.

• More staff where they’re needed, faster.

Boosting digital safety in north west London

In just four months, we supported over 250 care homes and 500 care providers in north west London to be digitally safe and secure.

After being commissioned by North West London Integrated Care Board in 2023 to tackle low levels of compliance with national standards by care homes and providers, we:

• built relationships with NHS and local authority social care leads, and care providers
• demonstrated how to comply with the national Data Security and Protection Toolkit and the benefits for services
• communicated regularly on progress and shared resources
• offered one-to-one email and phone support to care providers.

Almost 90% of care homes are now compliant (88%, up from 67% at the start) beating the national target of 80%.

Half of domiciliary care providers are compliant, up from a starting point of 10%.

• Their data is protected from the risk of a data breach or cyber-attack.
• Compliant care services can use NHSMail and Digital Social Care Records to support joined-up working by health and social care.

We continue to support this work.

Enabling happier, healthier lives in north central London 

Our consultancy team worked with North Central London Integrated Care Board (NCL ICB) and five local boroughs between 2021 and 2023 to support care homes to improve their level of digital care.  

Specifically, this project supported care home providers to

• comply with the national Data Security and Protection Toolkit
• use innovative digital tools like remote and acoustic monitoring.  

We set up the project for success, and NCL ICB and local partners continue to deliver it.

• In 2023/24, the proportion of care home providers using digital care records increased to 58%, enabling more joined-up, coordinated care for residents, including by GP practices and community services.
• Remote monitoring tools (now used by 90% of care home providers) detect early signs of deterioration and illness, reducing time spent in hospital.
• Acoustic monitoring tools alert staff when residents need assistance, helping to reduce falls.

• Easier to deliver high quality care.

• Less pressure on hospital beds.
• Increased collaboration across the whole of the North Central London health and care system is benefiting other areas of work.