Integrated Care Systems (ICS) were introduced to connect the newly formed Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) and local authorities, enabling a more seamless healthcare service which could then give better visibility of the needs of patients and allow NHS organisations to more effectively meet these needs and provide the right high-quality care - with the ultimate goal of helping more people and to a greater degree of success.
In the words of NHS England: “Integrated care is about giving people the support they need, joined up across local councils, the NHS, and other partners. It removes traditional divisions between hospitals and family doctors, between physical and mental health, and between NHS and council services.”
ICSs began in July 2023 but were first proposed in February 2022, when the UK Government published its ‘Joining up care for people, places and populations’ whitepaper, which laid out new plans for the integration of health and social care in England and how ICSs can bring this together in line with the NHS Long Term Plan.
Local authorities and NHS England are working closely together but there is still a long way to go due to further government reform, funding changes and internal goals and targets. This is affecting the speed and timing for when these changes can be implemented and we are still feeling the disruption post-pandemic.
In this article we will explore the annual priorities of an Integrated Care System and how these goals are set and ranked. We will also discuss the hangover effect of Covid-19 and the strain on the NHS, the challenges of ongoing digital transformation, and the role providers such as The Access Group can have in aiding an ICB in delivering quality care to their local area.
As customer demand increases during the summer, you need more staff - and you need to attract, recruit and train them as efficiently as possible to get you ready for the season. The nature of seasonal hospitality businesses means that often you are utilising a young and inexperienced workforce or perhaps you are recruiting staff with very specific skills, and they often move on at the end of the season – meaning you have to do the whole thing again next season.
And that is a whole lot of time, cost and resource for your operation – every season. But don’t worry, the Access Hospitality team are here to help. Our scheduling and training software is already trusted by hundreds of businesses in the seasonal hospitality sector, from hotels to theme parks and activity-led venues.
In this article, we reveal our top tips for managing seasonal recruitment – where to find top staff, how to onboard them successfully, and how to set yourself up ahead of the next season.
- Topic:
- Hospitality
As the demand for new infrastructure and housing continues to rise, so too does the urgency to adopt sustainable practices within the construction sector and reduce total emissions.
In this article, we explore how specifying low carbon construction materials can help alleviate pressure on the industry whilst helping the planet and minimising waste.
- Topic:
- Construction
Digital Health Rewired 2024 took place mid-March, and once again we were treated to an exciting exploration of cutting-edge innovations and the transformative potential of healthcare.
The venue packed out over 3,000 attendees across the two days, with more than 300 speakers and over 50 exhibitor stands - one of which being Access HSC (Health Support and Care). Our team had the pleasure of talking to hundreds of people over the course of the event, showcasing how Access is helping to transform the way people work in healthcare.
We also had the opportunity to listen in on several talks and discussions, gaining valuable insights into both the current state of the health and social care sector and its future trajectory.
Healthcare data analytics is the study of data relating to patients or services provided by a healthcare organisation. Healthcare data is extremely important to providing the very best care, but the insights available through data interpretation require expertise to extract them.
This expertise in healthcare data and analytics could be from a clinician, or it could be from a software solution, but either way there is an element of investment needed; whether that’s time, money, or belief. Without this, there will be no growth of healthcare data, but with it we can explore patterns, trends, patient habits, and make discoveries about major or minor tweaks to care processes that could save money, time, or better still save lives.
Data-driven healthcare is quickly becoming the guiding force behind modern health and care services, so in this article we will explore the importance of data in healthcare, as well provide an introduction to healthcare data analytics and explore what the analysis of healthcare data can achieve. Our goal is to make this a healthcare data guide that you can refer back to as a primer for exploring data analytics or even establishing your own analytics solutions.
What attitude does your firm have towards compliance; is it one that prefers to have a fence at the top of the cliff, or an ambulance at the bottom?
The ambulance at the bottom of the cliff analogy comes from a poem called “The Ambulance down in the valley” written by Jospeh Malins in 1895, and is used to assess whether people prefer to take precautions (install a fence) or risk falling over the cliff because they don’t think taking precautions is necessary or appropriate, and therefore need an ambulance when they fall to the base of the cliff.
In this blog, I'll delve into why compliance is essential for law firms and invite you to ponder: Are you proactively building fences, or merely relying on ambulances?"
- Topic:
- Legal
The rise of online bookings has transformed the restaurant industry and today over eight in 10 consumers, a whopping 86%, prefer to secure their table with a few clicks rather than calling in. This shift presents a golden opportunity for restaurants to not only capture reservations but also shape the customer experience from the very beginning.
A restaurant confirmation email – the first and critical touchpoint, bridging the gap between the online booking and the actual dining experience – acts as more than just a formality and if crafted carefully, is an opportunity to reassure guests, boost excitement, and set the tone for a positive visit.
But an optimised email for restaurant reservation can do even more. Restaurants that strategically craft these touchpoints often see reduced no-shows, increased opportunities for upselling, and an overall boost in guest satisfaction.
Here at Access Hospitality, we work closely with operators, helping them leverage the right reservation technology and maximise these customer touchpoints. Our systems are trusted by thousands of restaurants, bars, pubs and hotel operators, improving their enquiry to booking conversion by 24%, generating 14% more bookings and saving over 1000 hours each year through increased efficiency.
In this article, we'll deep dive into how a well-crafted confirmation email becomes an essential part of your success strategy and we'll share the insider tips and strategies to turn your reservation confirmations into powerful tools that enhance your business, whether you're a multi-site business operator or an owner of a single venue.
- Topic:
- Hospitality
No matter its size, every company will benefit from cutting operational costs. Efficiency and productivity are crucial for a business's success. By refining key processes, you can enhance the quality of your services and successfully control your financial outcomes over time. Integrating payroll with your time and attendance software is one step that can help streamline administrative processes and enhance overall operational effectiveness.
The patient experience is a big part of modern healthcare; accounting for the thoughts and feelings of individuals receiving care in a way that hasn’t been done in previous generations.
Before we can explore this subject though, we must first define patient experience.
What is patient experience?
Patient experience is what a person encounters during their care journey; from first interaction with a doctor or nurse, to diagnosis, through to treatment, and then on to aftercare; either within a hospital setting or discharged for observation back in a home or community setting.
Virtual wards are the newest addition to this patient journey, offering a form of hospital at home to allow a more hands-off experience in the familiarity of a home environment whilst still being monitored by top of the range equipment communicating patient vitals in real-time, and having routine check-ins with doctors and nurses.
Many organisations will be wondering how can the patient experience be improved. In this article we will walk through why patient experiences matter and how to enhance the patient experience. We will touch on the two main areas – healthcare software and staff – as well as the ways organisations like the NHS can implement support structures or frameworks to make sure the patient experience is being actively considered with all planning and actions.
