Both e-procurement and traditional procurement methods are used in many different ways across the health and social care sector. The digitisation of data and processes is just one way local authorities are trying to improve their care delivery, and digitalising procurement and brokerage is no different.
But what is the difference between e-procurement and more traditional methods of procurement, is the change of working worth it, and does it help deliver better quality care?
By the end of this article all these questions should be answered and you should have a better understanding of the benefits of digitsing processes in health and social care.
Since 2018, the UK government have created a number of whitepapers to outline plans to improve local areas through community and health initiatives. The NHS Long Term Plan focuses on enhancing wellbeing in communities and aims to reach its goals through digital transformation to further improve patient care with more digital solutions.
At Access Adam Care Commissioning we are aware of the challenges local authorities experience organizing, commissioning, and delivering high quality care, as well as how the Covid-19 pandemic exacerbated these challenges further. We know it’s important that companies develop technology which allows services to be agile, accessible, flexible, and secure, to connect services together so communities have the ability to support one another.
This article will explore how digitally transforming your procurement methods can help improve community health and wellbeing as well as what the key differences are between traditional methods of procurement and e-procurement methods and the impacts each have on local communities to deliver better person-centred care.
Co-production might be a concept you are aware of if you work in either healthcare, social care or related services. Co-production has been growing in popularity over the years. It is an approach to find new ways to collaborate and exchange both training and resources to help deliver better person-centred care.
However, due to the pandemic a lot of local authorities and NHS Trusts stopped using a co-production approach due it taking time, money, and often there being mixed opinions within a team on what would benefit the community.
Now it has started to become a priority again with more and more local authorities looking to use the approach. But, how can it be implemented again without the problems that occurred before?
The new procurement bill has caught media attention quite significantly over the last few months since parliamentary debates started. You may be aware of what some of the initial debates were over but now you might be confused where we are in the procurement bill timeline.
Since debates have started there have been many amendments and changes and now we are nearing the third reading. But what does that really mean and how long will it be until it becomes law and local authorities need to act upon it?
At The Access Group we think it is vital that all local authorities not only know and understand the procurement bill, but they know how it will impact their community and how best to prepare for the procurement changes.
By the end of this article all of that should become clear. Here we will discuss what the procurement bill is, why is it important for local authorities, where we are currently in the procurement bill timeline as well as how best local authorities can prepare for the change in legislation.
Outcomes based commissioning in social care is a change from older unit based commissioning. As you are probably aware unlike older approaches to commissioning care, outcomes based commissioning focuses on results instead of actions. But you may be wondering why is it important and how can it benefit your local community? Or you might be questioning how outcome based commissioning works compared to older approaches? Or perhaps how other local authorities are implementing outcomes based commissioning?
At The Access Group, we know how important it is to deliver care that is person-centred. We understand that through care commissioners and care providers working together towards the same outcomes, better results are possible, to improve the quality of life for people in your local community.
We have worked with a variety of local authorities to help deliver the best outcomes based commissioning across the care continuum to bring together care services across the community including health, primary care, secondary care, monitoring, support, and commissioning.
This article will review the importance of outcomes based commissioning and how following a population health approach can help local authorities commission care that is catered to every individual need to increase independence and delay future care needs, which in turn improves the quality of life and enables local authorities to better optimise their resources to consistently reach the increasing demand.
Strength based approaches are not abnormal across a variety of different sectors. In the social care sector this helps to focus on individuals’ strengths to maximise their independence for longer.
You may be wondering what a strength based approach in social care is? Or you might be wondering why it is important and what it’s benefits are. This article will answer these questions by reviewing the six key principles of a strengths based approach in relation to social care.
At The Access Group we want all local authorities and providers of care to be able to meet their duties under the Care Act. We think it is crucial therefore that you are provided with all the information needed so both care providers and care commissioners deliver the best approach possible to offer individuals the support they want and need when they need it.
Digital transformations in local government can seem complex. Are you currently struggling to implement your digital transformation strategy in your local government? Are you struggling to know where to start or make changes? Or maybe you are just interested in how other local authorities are digitally transforming their services?
Then this article will have all the answers for you. It explains what digital transformation in local government is and why it is important, as well as how best to implement your digital transformation plan to drive efficiencies, mitigate risks, and incubate innovation.
Currently 80% of digital transformation projects fail without the right support and guidance. At The Access Group we work hard to be that guidance and we want to make sure you understand what a digital transformation is, and help you get to that point where you utilise your data to get better insights, and ultimately better outcomes.
Using digital solutions and commissioning technology is just one of the ways councils and Local Authorities improve their local areas and work towards ‘net zero’ targets. Scientists have warned what will happen if governments and the public fail to take action.
The government in response have amended their initial target of reducing carbon emissions made in the Climate Change Act 2008 from 80% to 100% by 2050.
The cycle of homelessness is getting more and more difficult to break. It is estimated that by 2024 more than 66,000 people will look to local authorities for extra support and financial aid to help them overcome their housing problems. Local authorities are currently struggling with the increasing demand leading to many people being left in unsuitable temporary accommodation.
So what is the homelessness cycle? What are the causes and why is it so difficult to break out?
At The Access Group we are aware of all the current housing problems individuals are facing including housing quality, affordability and housing shortages, and we know how difficult it can be to prevent more and more people falling into the homelessness cycle, as well as how hard it is to break away from it.
This article will review all the current causes of homelessness and the impacts these causes have on individuals, families, and local authorities. This article will then evaluate what the government have been putting into place and explore the best ways to break the cycle of homelessness.
We are pleased to announce that Milton Keynes Council will be using the digital adam Housing solution to drive efficiencies in their housing processes.
Councils across the UK have been facing increasing pressure to deliver home-to-school transportation services to local areas. And spending is set to rise further each year. This can be attributed to a number of factors including the driver shortage, rising fuel costs, demand on the service, covid restrictions and stretched budgets.
However, there is an increasing disparity between the costs for rural areas compared to urban locations. Research commissioned by the Local Government Association in 2019, focusing on understanding home to school transport costs, said, “Arguably the most significant factor underpinning [these] variations in expenditure is the size and rurality of different areas.”
At its heart, this is due to the distance and eligibility requirements, for instance if the requirements are set to be over three miles, more individuals will be eligible in rural locations compared with cities or towns. The County Councils Network Report (2018) shows, “The average per-pupil cost of delivering home to school transport in county areas is £93 per pupil, almost ten times the average in urban and city areas, where the average cost is £10 per pupil.” A huge difference, especially for councils managing large areas with limited budgets.
Local authorities have also had rising demand for special educational needs (SEN) transport provision. Many pupils are travelling further to reach SEN schools, which are often outside the local area. Not only is this a greater cost for fuel and time, but councils need to source suitable transportation to fit the individuals’ requirements. This often leads to additional expense and a limited number of suppliers to choose from.
Graham Biggs, Rural Services Network Chief Executive, explains the importance of ‘levelling up’ rural areas to provide young people with equal educational opportunities. “That’s the reality for many young people. There are distinct challenges that come with living in rural and isolated areas, especially with regard to sixth form colleges” (Rural Services Network, 2020). Graham continues by referring to Rural England’s report which revealed only 45.5% of rural pupils go on to higher education compared with the national average of 50%. Services such as home-to-school transportation are invaluable to help connect and provide further opportunities to young people.
So how can councils reduce their spending for rural home-to-school transport without adjusting eligibility requirements of the distance travelled per pupil?
