6 October 2011 | Laura Chubb
Category: Best cross functional teamwork project
Winner: NHS Business Services Authority
Providing a system to protect lone NHS workers from being assaulted has been successful, despite the huge challenge of engaging with a wide diversity of functions
Serving on the frontline of healthcare can be a dangerous job. Facing angry, intoxicated or mentally unwell patients is part of everyday working life. As a result, almost 56,000 NHS workers were assaulted on duty in 2007/2008.
The NHS Business Services Authority’s (NHSBSA) Lone Worker Protection Solution (LWPS) is promising to turn that around, already protecting 40,000 people and saving the NHS £19.8 million.
The LWPS allows lone workers to discreetly signal for help from the emergency services when stuck in a potentially violent situation. The Secretary of State for Health Andrew Lansley announced the scheme in response to the shocking numbers of NHS workers being assaulted and made central funding available.
A clear set of objectives was set, among them making protection available to lone NHS workers 24 hours a day, 365 days a year across the UK, and strengthening an immature supply market by centrally funding 30,000 users.
The project faced substantial challenges. In particular, the need to engage with a wide diversity of functions – from procurement and security management, to project management and finance personnel – required a strategic view encompassing the vast range of stakeholders.
These included ministers, the Department of Health, 410 Health Bodies and the Association of Chief Police Officers, among many others. There was also a need to bring together an assortment of hardware, such as IT systems and telephony.
NHSBSA delivered a signed framework agreement and supporting customer contracts within 11 months – no mean feat, considering the complexity of the procurement and the constraints of EU regulations.
Close co-operation between cross-functional team members and effective project planning had proved essential at this stage. Over the 11-month period, the cross-functional team carried out an EU competitive dialogue process, at which point 50 suppliers expressed their interest. Thirty frontline staff members were invited to participate in the evaluation at long-list stage, with users piloting proposed solutions.
The LWPS was awarded to Reliance Secure Task Management in April 2009, with a framework duration of three years. Independent scrutiny was applied by the Office of Government Commerce at key decision points using the Gateway Review process.
As a direct result of the framework, costs have reduced from an average of £30 per user per month to £10 per user per month, generating a £19.8 million saving based on the 30,000 NHS England users alone.
Also on the shortlist
