Scaling People Services with Automation & AI

Over the past twelve years, my career has been deeply rooted in the healthcare sector. I discovered my passion for the NHS while supporting a groundbreaking digital transformation programme at NHS Blood and Transplant and I've seen firsthand how automation can serve as a critical enabler for various delivery models, including Shared Services, Lead Provider models, and Outsourcing. Here I share my insights on how automation can support each of the four scaling models listed in NHS England’s Guide to Scaling People Services for the Future (available via FutureNHS), based on my personal experiences.

Shared Services

Implementing automation within Shared Services has been a game-changer. Large companies such as IBM and General Electric were some of the first organisations, I heard of implementing automation in the 90’s, as they had the scale and demand to deliver shared services effectively. This model thrives on centralizing similar services across different business units, geographies, or organisations to reduce costs and increase efficiency. Shared Services functions require a lot of up-front investment to ensure that agreed outcomes will be met predictably and sustainably.

Automation plays a pivotal role in shared services by standardizing processes and reducing manual workload. For instance, automating routine HR tasks such as leave requests and payroll processing not only cuts down processing time but also ensures accuracy and consistency. This model's success in my experience has been underpinned by the ability of automation to seamlessly handle high volumes of transactions, allowing the Shared Services centre to deliver timely and reliable services at scale.

Lead Provider

In the Lead Provider model, one organisation takes charge of delivering a specific service for others, which can be clinical, or back-office focused. For example, Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust (MWL) provides a Lead Employer Model focused on supporting Doctors in Training and delivers HR, Payroll, Health Work and Wellbeing services to more than 11,000 medical professionals across six regions. Other organisations may provide clinical services on behalf of other organisations – this is commonly seen when large acute providers can provide a wider range of extended services on behalf of smaller acutes, so district general hospitals can focus on providing better care across core services.

As you might expect, delivering externally facing services, whether through the Shared Services or Lead Provider model, comes with a level of scrutiny.  Lead Providers are accountable to NHS England for the services they provide.  In the case above, MWL is fully responsible for all employment matters relating to the Trainees and is using Automation to revolutionise administrative tasks provided by the service, recently winning the National Payroll Innovation Award for their Employment Services Automation Programme.

Within six months of introducing Automation, MWL saved nearly 250 working days across People Services, simply by removing mundane repetitive admin tasks.  This in turn freed up valuable time for staff to focus on the service being provided and reducing risk associated with being a Lead Employer.

Service Level Agreements (SLAs)

Service Level Agreements within the NHS outline the expectations and responsibilities between service providers and receivers. Automation strengthens SLAs by ensuring that the services are delivered within the agreed parameters. Alongside automating processes for great efficiency, automated monitoring tools can also be beneficial, providing real-time data on service performance against the SLA metrics. This transparency fosters trust and enables proactive management of services, ensuring that any deviations are quickly addressed.

One example of a Service Level Agreement model can be seen at The Health Informatics Service, which provides a single point of contact solution to NHS organisations that need NHS-specific service desk support.  The Health Informatics Service supports forty NHS organisations Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm, with built-in SLA and KPI reporting.

Outsourcing/Offshoring

Outsourcing and offshoring present a strategic option for scaling People Services by leveraging external resources. It is incredibly common to see some form of outsourcing or offshoring in the private sector, with Automation bridging the gap between internal expectations and external delivery.

In offshore service centres, Automation can facilitate better control and oversight, allowing tighter integration of services as if they were being delivered in-house. This integration is key to maintaining service quality and consistency, even when services are provided from afar. In my experience, it is more common to see outsourcing rather than offshoring across the NHS, with service providers able to provide partial or fully outsourced services for back-office functions. I won’t dive into the public and political sensitivity of offshoring, but it is fair to say that data protection and privacy, combined with regulatory concerns can make offshoring more complex for the NHS, compared with the private sector.

Conclusion 

In conclusion, automation can support the scaling of People Services in the NHS regardless of what delivery model you opt for. Whether it's streamlining processes in Shared Services, ensuring excellence in Lead Provider models, upholding commitments in SLAs, or seamlessly integrating Outsourced services, Automation is a critical enabler at the heart of scalable, efficient, and high-quality service delivery.

I strongly believe in the value of including Automation and AI in all four delivery models and have dedicated my career to crafting innovative concepts that help the NHS, and its organisations adapt innovation in an impactful way. To explore our transformative automation case studies, watch engaging video testimonials, and book your free consultation, visit my NHS resource hub. Discover how Automation Anywhere’s innovations are shaping the future of NHS service delivery.

About Russ Boreham: 

Over the past twelve years, my career has been deeply rooted in the healthcare sector, where I've had the privilege of making significant contributions to the NHS. I discovered my passion for the NHS while working with a digital transformation consultancy. It was there that I was involved in a groundbreaking digital transformation programme at NHS Blood and Transplant. This project, which spanned over three years, marked a milestone by achieving the world's first cloud-enabled heart transplant. Inspired by this experience, I dedicated myself to driving innovation within the NHS, focusing on leveraging Automation & AI. Subsequent work has not only led to substantial cost savings for the NHS but also provided crucial support to its workforce during the challenging times of Covid. Building on this foundation, I established the NHS industry practice at Automation Anywhere in 2018, where I continue to advocate for and implement transformative solutions. While the views I express are solely my own, my commitment to enhancing healthcare through technology remains unwavering.