Gary Harrold, CEO of Swiss Post Solutions UK, discusses how the NHS can learn from private sector digitisation practices to improve patient care and operational efficiency. Key insights include prioritising customer-centric processes, utilizing digital communications, and acknowledging the cultural changes necessary for successful implementation. The document emphasizes that effective digitisation can lead to significant cost savings and enhanced patient experiences.

1. Gary Harrold
CEO, UK & IRE
Swiss Post Solutions
www.swisspostsolutions.com • info.sps.uk@swisspost.com • Tel. +44 (0)845 301 3708
DIGITAL 2020
CAN PRIVATE SECTOR EXPERIENCES GUIDE THE NHS?
Gary Harrold, CEO of Swiss Post Solutions UK, explores
learnings that the NHS could take from private sector
organisations that are further along on their digital journeys.
Although there are clear differences between the private sector
and the NHS, the high level drivers for digitisation are similar;
improved access to and control of information, better customer
(patient) experience, improved productivity and reduced costs.
That the business world is slightly ahead of the NHS, is partly due
to digital start-ups putting pressure on traditional businesses to
modernise, but the journey started with pragmatic management
decision making about where to focus. Return on investment
(ROI) is king in business, so it’s not surprising that digitisation is
prioritised in areas where it will deliver the most impact, most
quickly; these tend to be customer centric activities, where
multiple departments are involved, like customer services. This
end to end, process by process approach is common across most
sectors where having a tight focus means stakeholders share the
same objectives, decisions get made more quickly, results can be
measured and lessons can be learned before moving to the next
process. These same principles could be applied in the NHS.
Historically within the NHS, departmental projects that tick
a box against a digitisation strategy rarely generate genuine
performance improvement. Identifying and prioritising the patient
processes for digitisation based on ROI delivers better outcomes
right across the process (including communications) for both the
individual Trusts and the patient. This is a view that’s supported by
independent reviewer Robert Wachter, who takes the pragmatic
view that Digital 2020 may be an impossible target, but “the
goal is improvement, facilitated by having information where it’s
needed, when it’s needed.”
Customer processes are a priority
The ability to create a 360° customer view is a holy grail for
businesses like retail banking and insurance. Digitisation has
helped them unlock information, breakdown functional silos and
create customer centric views of every transaction and touchpoint.
Operationally that means increased responsiveness and more
satisfied customers; strategically it means better insight to inform
planning. In an NHS context this translates to patient centricity,
where access to a single patient record, shared by multiple NHS
organisations and beyond, will enable faster clinical decision
making, better patient care and better co-operation between
agencies. Unlocking patient information that was buried in paper
records, opens the door to automation using Artificial Intelligence
and Robotic Process Automation, increased efficiency and the
opportunity to re-direct more resources towards patient care.
End-to-end digitisation means more effective and lower
cost communications
Most commercial organisations have realised that providing a
mix of physical and digital channels reduces their costs, as well
as supporting customer preferences. With Did Not Attends
(DNAs) costing the NHS close to £1 Billion annually and a goal
to give patients and citizens more control over their health and
wellbeing, there is much to be gained from a move to digital
communications, beyond the savings on printing and postage.
As consumers we are increasingly used to selecting a way of
communicating that works for us. Offering health service users
choice and the ability to set a preference, including digital
communication, will allow them to find and access services more
quickly and easily; something that’s evidenced already in the
adoption of choose and book.
So process prioritisation is one of the most relevant learnings from
the private sector. Successful projects also take into account how
information is used and by whom as moving to a digital model is
a cultural change as much as a technical one. Although the NHS
is training a new generation of digital leaders, the front line staff
shouldn’t be forgotten. Without acknowledging the cultural shift
that is needed, digitisation is unlikely to generate the productivity
gains which will contribute to the projected £8.5 billion savings
from Digital 2020.
First published in the National Health Executive Magazine, September/October 2017