Dear COO and NHS Leaders
You have probably discovered by now that your historical data has never been less relevant when planning your organisation's recovery. So you might be flying blind, yet you know that you will still be expected to deliver and you are still determined to deliver for your workforce and patients. The good news is, you don't need to fly in the dark!
Why are you flying blind?
Historical activity trends are inadequate in these uncertain times to predict what might happen next week, let alone in 12 months. It is impossible to submit any credible plans for recovery if your assumptions on the future are based on historical trends. So, it can feel like you are being set up to fail because there is a good chance that no amount of hard work will guarantee you can deliver your recovery programme in the face of huge uncertainties on demand and capacity.
NHS Operational teams are rarely trained in using analytics tools and business analysts are rarely trained to understand how NHS services are being managed. Imagine what can be achieved if NHS Operational teams are able to use analytics tools to tailor operational insights that are relevant to them and business analysts can develop analytics tools that offer operationally relevant insights.
So, how do you get on the front foot?
I have learned over the years that operational teams have to rely heavily on their experiences rather than the information they receive to manage their services because they find it difficult to engage for many reasons.
What this indicates is missed opportunities for better collaboration between operational teams and business intelligence and their need to develop additional capabilities and skillsets.
Having good forward looking operational insights underpinned by operational analytics capabilities is more relevant today than ever before.
Here is how you start getting on the front foot in five steps:
- Start demanding forward looking operational analytics to manage your services and recovery programmes
- Start adopting and adapting analytics tools and technology that are operationally relevant and easily available at low cost
- Understand the operational analytics capabilities within your organisation
- Develop the relevant skillsets within your operations and business analytics teams
- Evangelise. Teach. Inspire a generation
The help and support is out there
Since Covid-19, a range of NHS platforms like FutureNHS provide relevant tools and materials, and access to operations analytics experts like ourselves. There are also organisations like Digitalhealth that provide regular insights into relevant digital tools and technologies for health and care and can offer to connect you and your teams.
About us
Logan Tod & Co is a pending b-corp company that supports the NHS and organisations delivering positive outcomes to society. Our free elective backlog predictor tool and other relevant expertise are shared with the NHS on the NHS AnalystX platform. We also support individual NHS organisations and regions to build the capabilities required using existing tools and technology that are readily available to the NHS to manage their demand and capacity.