Learning + skills
We delivered a threefold digital change programme to maximise time for patient care
Let’s set the scene
The Department of Health has an ongoing mission to improve the wellbeing of the population, reduce health inequalities, and nurture more unified interdepartmental relationships. One aspect of this was to replace Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) with Integrated Care Boards (ICBs). ICBs take on the NHS planning functions previously held by the CCGs, as well as absorbing some planning roles from NHS England.
On 1 July 2022, the NHS Derby and Derbyshire CCG formally became the NHS Derby and Derbyshire ICB as the health statutory body for the population of Derby City and Derbyshire.
Tackling inequalities in health outcomes, the ICB’s now part of the Joined Up Care Derbyshire ICS, continuing to work with partners in local authority and the voluntary sector, and helping the NHS to support broader social and economic development.
Change challenges for a newly formed ICB
As part of the migration from the CCG to the ICB, Glossop, which had previously been part of the Greater Manchester system, was integrated into Derby and Derbyshire. This marked a significant change for staff who’d worked in Greater Manchester for many years.
During this time, NHS England (formerly NHS Digital), commissioned a landmark agreement with Microsoft giving NHS England’s 1.5 million doctors, nurses, clinicians, and support staff access to cutting-edge productivity tools to improve workplace processes, support better outcomes for patients, and improve their busy working lives.
On this, Ged Connolly-Thompson, Head of Digital Development & Information Governance at NHS Derby and Derbyshire ICB said:
“It was our job to make sure there were no disruptions to services for patients and that systems worked as they’d always had. As the ICB’s made up of separate organisations and infrastructures, we needed a shared tenancy solution so our teams could continue to collaborate effectively – and that’s what we have now.”
“While local authorities, third parties and non-NHS organisations have their own ways of working with their own Microsoft 365 tenants, we can sign them up to our version of Microsoft Office and invite them in to collaborate with us. In the new world we’re in, we’ve got to be inclusive, we’ve got to work together.”
Ged Connolly-Thompson
Head of Digital Development & Information Governance
NHS Derby and Derbyshire ICB
Watch the full interview
Short on time?
Press play on our full interview with special guest speakers from:
- NHS Derby and Derbyshire ICB
- Joined Up Care Derbyshire
- Derby and Derbyshire Local Medical Committee
- North Derbyshire Primary Care Network
The task (or three) at hand
NHS Derby and Derbyshire ICB partnered with
The Inform Team in early 2022 to:
Deliver a technology landscape report across 300+ care homes to establish specific digital needs within social care
Delivering intel with creativity and passion
NHS Derby and Derbyshire ICB’s digital team needed to understand the barriers to implementing technology within 300+ care homes across the county and how it could be amplified within this environment.
Inform built a current view of the use of digital tools and systems within the care homes and provided a basis for future planning for Digital First Primary Care and other Integrated Health and Care System (ICS) programmes of work.
NHS Derby and Derbyshire ICB benefitted from a high-level report that:
uncovered the digital tools currently in use
identified the digital aspirations of staff within the care homes
documented any constraints or issues limiting successful digital transformation
summarised key themes and made recommendations for areas of improvement
”We recognised we didn't have a baseline of knowing what infrastructure was embedded in our care homes and what staff had access to. Inform helped us understand what connectivity was like and what the blockers were to implementing digital projects and programmes.
Ged Connolly-ThompsonHead of Digital Development & Information Governance, NHS Derby and Derbyshire Integrated Care Board
The numbers
Responses received to
‘Digital improvements in
care homes’ survey
Calls made as part
of qualitative study
‘Digitisation in care homes’
stakeholder discovery
sessions delivered
Carry out a training needs analysis across the ICB to establish Microsoft 365 skill levels, identify attitudes towards training, and make recommendations for priority areas
Working together to maximise investment
Inform were also tasked with delivering a thorough assessment of the ICB’s digital landscape to be shared with key stakeholders to help prepare a future training strategy.
Wasting no time, our project team uncovered what the current knowledge base looked like, what specific technology and tools people were using, and how often they were using it. Not only did this key intel highlight peoples’ skill gaps, but it also identified missed opportunities where the ICB wasn’t maximising its existing Microsoft 365 investment.
Ged shared, “It’s difficult to sit in the centre of the ICB and make decisions about what people are experiencing on the frontline. We were looking for an independent company with experience undertaking this kind of work in our sector to make sure our groups were fully engaged, and colleagues had an opportunity to input into what training and support they needed.”
The numbers
Survey responses
Responses from the ICB
Responses from the GP practice/PCN staff
”We’ve invested heavily in the Microsoft 365 NHS shared tenancy, so we needed to reduce any duplication, reduce costs, and support our people with their professional development.
Ged Connolly-ThompsonHead of Digital Development & Information Governance, NHS Derby and Derbyshire Integrated Care Board
Roll out a digital champions programme and deliver ongoing Microsoft 365 training within
NHS Derby & Derbyshire ICB’s
shared tenant
The numbers
Digital champions (and growing)
People attended (or booked onto)
soft skills and M365 training sessions
Easy-to-follow reference guides created
Comprehensive spotlight training sessions developed
Always putting people first
Following on from the previous successes of Inform’s programme of work, NHS Derby and Derbyshire ICB returned with a new support request: to empower people within the ICB to champion digital change and bring out the best of Microsoft 365.
Our recommendation? Build a community of digital champions, deliver training to them, and incorporate soft skills training.
We worked with the ICB to build a champions channel within their unique Microsoft Teams environment, filling it to the brim with branded resources to get their champions excited, engaged, and ready to share their newfound knowledge with their peers. A comprehensive and creative communications plan underpinned the programme, outlining key dates, messages, and distribution channels.
Ged shared, “Staff knew how to use Microsoft Teams for meetings and online chats, but there were so many underutilised tools and applications to make efficiency savings or to make things easier for them. We hadn’t explored that.”
He goes on to say, “This was never a case of putting on a single training course. As our digital team’s a small team of two, Inform’s recommendation was to build a community of digital champions to make sure people have the necessary communication skills and are the right kind of person to support colleagues with Microsoft 365.
With 6,500+ employees across the ICB and in primary care, we can’t just rely on two people to share knowledge. If we can build a team of 200 plus digital champions with Microsoft 365 skills, it’s not only more efficient, but it becomes much more embedded. They’re the subject matter experts with a friendly face and it’s an informal approach.”
Supported by Inform, the ICB’s continuing to welcome more digital champions and will be commissioning similar packages for the GP practices and other organisations in the integrated care partnership.
"This programme of work is a really good lever to help us unlock capability.
It should be making people's jobs easier to do, quicker to do, and that helps us with value for money, patient experience, and ultimately improving the health of the population."
Jim Austin
Chief Digital Information Officer
Joined Up Care Derbyshire
"We’re supporting people with their professional development and delivering Microsoft 365 training that’s easily translatable for those working across our organisation."
Ged Connolly-Thompson
Head of Digital Development & Information Governance
NHS Derby and Derbyshire ICB
"The Inform Team are very supportive and very willing to listen to what we need in Derbyshire."
Hayley Scott
Practice Liaison Officer
Derby & Derbyshire LMC
"The good thing about the champions programme is it takes local people from local systems and makes them the go-to person. It's not imposed as such, you're growing naturally within an organisation."
Dr Peter Scriven
Clinical Director
North Derbyshire PCN
The experience
“Inform’s our collaborative partner for innovation”
In Ged’s words:
“As we started to work together, we realised the true extent of the skills and breadth of expertise they have in helping us embed digital transformation.
In the NHS it’s easy to use tried-and-tested solutions, but The Inform Team draw on their experience in other sectors to introduce things to us which helps with horizon scanning. We don’t have to spend time looking for opportunities, Inform bring them to us.”
"They're friendly, approachable, and exhibit the kind of behaviours we’d want in a partner by how they work and interact with us."
What will be your success story?
At The Inform Team, we deliver exceptional digital change experiences – and here’s the proof.
As we do with NHS Derby and Derbyshire ICB, we’ll work with you to unlock streamlined ways of working, embed meaningful change, and empower your people to use digital tools with complete confidence.
Ready to get started? Book a free consultation with our team.
