3 Reasons your Trust can save money with an IT implementation

It’s not a secret that many Trusts across the UK are weary when it comes to an IT implementation – and while they have been burned in the past with false promises and more expenditure than return, the tides are changing and technology is here to help, for good.

Implementing IT services at your NHS trust, can not only save you money but can be fun for you, your staff and patients! Here is 3 ways to get cash back in your pocket by implementing IT.

1. Reduce your paper

Let’s start with the most obvious – While computers were meant to eradicate paper 30 years ago, and paper consumption has actually increased by half in that time frame, there are areas where we can make a huge impact on, in small periods of time.

One, being letters sent out by the NHS. The average NHS Trust costs a letter anywhere from 30 – 45 pence per letter – That gets very costly, very quickly when you send a letter for each stage of a patients’ journey!

Remember the times when we received our bank statement by mail monthly? Yes, it seems archaic to me too! Moving patients’ day to day lettering online such as, referral letters and appointments is estimated to save theNHS billions.

If such highly regulated industries like banking can make the move to online with secure information, the reality is that Healthcare has been able to do the same for quite some time.

2. Improved patient and staff experience

The holy grail of healthcare is better outcomes, and a better experience for less money. And when it comes to experience we can look to improve the lives of patients in tangent with that of staff. One thing staff and patients have in common is the majority own a smart phone – That is to say that 80% of the world population today own one. I think we can all agree this is one little device has made our lives considerably more easy. And the power for it to enhance our Hospital experience is there too. Knowledge is not power, knowledge is potential power and the power lies in the doing.

Trade-offs between quality of patient care and cost control cause intense conflict for health care professionals. In worst-case situations, efforts to improve profit margins actually have the opposite effect—they chase away customers, cost executives their jobs, and put the entire hospital at risk of financial ruin. - Jon Meliones HBR

iPhone’s were designed to make you feel smart – so much as, everything you do feels intuitive and IT implementations and products have gone the same way. Many services within Healthcare remain outdated and unusable but there are products available and designed specifically to make you feel smart. There is functional and accessible IT that works for the patient and staff and its quick and easy to carry out.

3. Reduce your DNA’s

The one we have all been waiting for – When it comes to putting money back in to your Trust, nothing does it better than reducing your DNA’s. We live our lives synonymous with technology and when it comes to communicating it’s number one. For our younger generation, communicating through tech is quite literally the only way they know how. Whether you love or loathe this culture it is fact and how we communicate as a Trust must come off the back of this.

In the most general terms the goal is to create as little friction as possible while improving patient care and experience. Mobile healthcare is how this will be achieved. With simple reminder messages sent to a phone or email and basic information on where and when their appointment will be – We can see reduction in DNA’s by 30% overnight. The essence of this shows that simplicity is key and an IT implementation should solve the basic communication issues first before bounding on to solve more complex matters.

Reduce your paper, make staff and patients happier and help patients turn up for their appointments. It doesn’t need to be difficult to have a big impact but an IT implementation can be fun, easy and have lasting positive effects.