Solent NHS Trust
Solent NHS Trust commissioned Beautiful Information to provide an external review of the information team’s structure, strategy and work plan and to identify how the reporting framework could move from historic data analysis to the provision of real time intelligence. We commissioned this work because of Beautiful Information’s success in developing real time intelligence within its own Trust. The transformation at East Kent Hospitals University Foundation Trust was a model that we looked to replicate. Using workshops, mentoring and coaching Beautiful Information has helped us translate the core principles of its approach within Solent.
Elizabeth Hale, Associate Director of Performance.
Background
In September 2013 Beautiful Information, hosted by East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust (EKHUFT), was commissioned by Solent NHS Trust to provide an external review of its Information function after the Trust identified a number of concerns around the Information department and its relationship with other teams. There was also no clear strategy or framework in place at Solent in order for Information Management (IM) to thrive. The Trust is one of the largest community and specialist mental health providers in the NHS, serving a population of over one million people across Portsmouth, Southampton, and parts of Hampshire.
The brief
Solent asked Beautiful Information to conduct three clear tasks
- provide an external review and make a series of recommendations around the organisational structure of people working within this team;
- help design and embed an effective Information strategy and detailed work-plan;
- subject to the outcome of the review, provide technical assistance implementing a new bi system if the current reporting tool was discontinued.
Solution
- a new Information Strategy
- re-organised IM and IT functions, with the respective governance structures in place and the launch of a new organisation chart
- new business intelligence capability, culling unnecessary systems
Beyond this, Beautiful Information continue to provide further consultancy to fully embed the new reporting framework, plus on-going management support outside of the original arrangement.
Benefits
- fit for purpose structure
- clear direction of travel
- real time intelligence
- improved performance reporting
- engaging products and services
- new user experience
How we did it
By conducting a round of intense interviews with a wide range of Solent staff, covering both those within the current Information Management function and its service users.
After considering the feedback received; alongside the existing strategy documents, organisation charts and technical infrastructure diagrams, we made a number of wide-ranging recommendations based on our findings which we reported back to IM staff and subsequently the Board.
The management report produced encapsulated the scope of the review, our findings and recommendations which all called for significant change – both organisationally and to the technical infrastructure of the Trust.
Why EKBI?
Over the last few years, EKHUFT has restructured its own Information team and developed a clear and effective Information Management strategy and reporting framework. This transformation has been held up as a model that others look to replicate, now possible via support from the beautiful information team.
beautiful information is currently working with a number of clients to review and transform their Information Strategy, IM function and reporting framework, embedding the structure from the board through to operational teams, and in turn, to the analysts who support them.