In a time of mounting pressures, one NHS trust is rewriting the script on mental health services.
North London Foundation Trust (NLFT) is turning to data and technology to optimise and enhance the vital support it provides.
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A new digital strategy aims to make the trust data-driven, building a digitally literate workforce that can provide the best possible care – with services including children and young people’s mental health, prison services, forensic services, eating disorders and drug and alcohol recovery.
“Investment in data and analytics is one of our key priorities for the next five years – and one of the key themes of our digital strategy,” explains Sarah Wilkins, chief digital and information officer at NLFT.
“There are huge pressures in terms of recruitment and retention, and there is a national agenda around improving productivity and efficiency. Supporting our staff to interpret data will directly help deliver improvements to patient care.”
Equipping staff with new skills in data, AI, and transformation would be vital. Here’s how the trust unlocked the power of data and technology, with the help of upskilling.
Skills underpinning a shift in culture
In 2023, the trust partnered with Multiverse to launch its Digital and Data Academy, with the upskilling programme funded through the apprenticeship levy.
After enrolling on an apprenticeship, the programme helps learners develop digital literacy skills. The approach underpins a new culture promoting innovation, while enabling teams to make meaningful changes in patient care.
Every division of the trust is represented, spanning a range of clinical and operational functions – from support officers, service managers, and analysts, to clinicians and nurses.
Regular roundtables encourage knowledge sharing across the trust, with learners and leaders sharing success stories. Best practice playbooks act as a central resource to cement learning and create consistency.
“By investing in our people and championing digital excellence, we are creating a workforce that is prepared to meet the challenges of the future, ensuring our services remain efficient, effective, and centred on patient needs,” said Emily Burch, chief nursing information officer at NLFT.
‘Transformational’ savings to clinicians’ time and improvements to patient experience
NLFT is a brilliant example of how a shift in mindset around technology can bring real benefits to patients.
For instance, reducing time spent on manual data entry frees up teams to focus more on patients.
One learner found that several team leads were spending up to three days a month fulfilling mandatory, time-intensive reporting requirements as part of the Care Programme Approach.
Changes to the process collectively saved team leads 45 hours per month. It was so successful that the apprentice responsible was invited to share the new approach with other healthcare providers nationally.
Addressing delayed discharges was another priority for NLFT. Barnet inpatient mental health wards had a high number of patients who were clinically ready for discharge but waiting for care assessments.
Using analytical skills gained through the Multiverse Business Transformation Fellowship programme, one learner spotted bottlenecks in the discharge process.
After proposing changes to communication and documentation, the learner used data visualisation techniques to illustrate the challenge and track progress. Over nine months, Barnet inpatient MH wards reduced the number of active patients awaiting assessments from 25 to one.
In another example, one apprentice identified the impact of demographics on readmission rates – helping signpost local interventions.
Ms Wilkins said the academy has been “transformational” for trust staff, adding: “It’s really opened their eyes to the power of data and how they’re using it, creating a huge impact for our services.
“We’re seeing staff becoming more confident – they’re proactively using data insights and asking important questions like ‘Have we thought about this? This is what we’re seeing in our service, is this true in other areas of the trust?’ It’s a real step change for us.”
Harnessing the power of data and AI is critical to the evolution of the NHS
Multiverse is trusted by more than 80 NHS organisations. Across the country, apprentices in our healthcare digital, data and AI academies have unlocked more than £10m in savings in six months, by applying new skills.
Visit multiverse.io/healthcare to see how we can help your people gain the confidence to develop their own solutions to everyday problems – and help the NHS thrive.
