The Guardian is one of the country’s most popular news publications and boats a digital readership of over 25 million every month in the United Kingdom alone, and has been voted by readers as the UK’s most trusted newspaper (OfCom).

Is the NHS a Technology Laggard?

In this Guardian article, Roger discusses how the use of technology within the NHS is lagging behind what we see being used in our personal lives and how this is creating healthcare inefficiencies.

Large touchscreen and tablet devices, smart watches and other wearables and even games consoles all provide consumers with digital content above and beyond their primary purpose, with evermore apps and solutions being launched on these channels. Within the NHS however, there is still an ongoing reliance on older, desktop solutions which do not offer clinicians the flexibility they are used too.

Clinical staff qualifying today in their 20s and 30s have grown up with mobile technology. They have smartphones, consoles, tablets and wearables. They use FitBits, health apps and messaging platforms. A lot of frustration can be found among those professionals who want to use this technology in their working environments to improve care.

Unfortunately, the NHS is still a long way away from the adoption of technologies like wearables which would enable a huge number of patients and clinicians alike to easily monitor and manage an array of conditions automatically. However, mobile technology is starting to see a greater level of adoption across the country with more and more community care and patient monitoring mobile solutions being deployed.

More local authorities are looking at patient information apps to prevent hospital admissions. And new mobile innovation tenders suggest a recognition that investment in mobile solutions is now needed.

Endless Healthcare Innovation Possibilities

Whilst we can see that there is a growing amount of interest and investment in mobile health solutions, there is no clear path or timeline for when we still start to see more ambitious innovations being introduced.

With shadow IT problems now beginning to emerge in hospitals surrounding the use of personal staff apps such as WhatsApp, it is becoming more and more obvious that Trusts need to provide more efficient and convenient tools than what is currently offered. Messaging apps which safeguard patient data and allow instant internal communication can create impactful clinical efficiencies, but this is just a small part of what could potentially be achieved by adopting modern, digital technology across the whole healthcare service.

You could create fully interactive NHS apps for Apple TV. Console devices such as the Microsoft Xbox One Kinect could be used to assess a person’s posture and fitness, and provide suggestions for improvement. Wearable devices such as smartwatches could contribute to the government’s preventative medicine agenda.

To find out more about the digital state of the NHS and the current opportunities and challenges facing the industry you can read the Guardian article in full. Alternatively, if you are looking to introduce mobile technology within your organisation, find out more about the power of our low-code app development platform – CommonTime Infinity.

The post CommonTime Featured on Guardian Healthcare Network appeared first on CommonTime.

DigitalHealth has established itself as a market leading news service for all healthcare technology matters and has a readership of over 300,000 per month with 38,000 registered, active users.

The Hillingdon Care Record App

Within the Hillingdon Care Record (HCR), the development team have combined their Silverlink PAS, pathology and radiology requests and results, document management systems and over 40 other clinical systems into this central mobile app. Since launch, this app has been successfully adopted across the hospital and is being utilised by 1,450 staff across tablet devices and desktops alike.

Built on a combination of technologies from Hillingdon Trust’s integration engine (TIE) to data interfaced through the medical interoperability gateway (MIG), the team at Hillingdon Hospitals have used the CommonTime Infinity low-code development platform to bring this information together in one simple, easy-to-use app.

Since launch, clinicians have seen an immediate benefit with accessibility to critical historic patient information significantly simplified, whilst GP interactions have also been made far easier. Hillingdon have in fact seen a dramatic increase in the level of communication being made with GP’s, with over half a million documents exchanged in the past year alone.

Reviewing the Application

Following their recent visit to Hillingdon to see the app in action for themselves, the DigitalHealth team were full of praise for the bold, innovative work Hillingdon are undertaking:

“The app includes the PAS, pathology and radiology requests and results, electronic documents across on many wards including ophthalmology, cardiology, maternity and discharge summaries. It can also be used to create, as well as store, documents to send to GPs and social care organisations.”

“more than 8,000 documents are viewed through the record a month, along with another 50,000 transactions from viewing patient history to creating outpatient letters.”

“The record now pulls in 40 different systems, using 70 different interfaces through the trust’s medical interoperability gateway.”

The team at Hillingdon are now working with CommonTime to expand on the success of the HCR app to include even more critical functionality. Future updates will encompass digital observations, clinical noting and communications, all of which deliver staff the tools to improve patient care, increase clinical efficiency and develop an integrated care network in the region.

To find out more about the impact that the HCR mobile app is having at Hillingdon Hospitals and for the patients they care for, read the article in full. Alternatively, if you are looking to deploy a similar process-driven application – find out more about the power of our low-code Infinity platform.

The post Hillingdon Hospitals Featured on DigitalHealth appeared first on CommonTime.

Originally described by economist Adam Smith in 1776, the term has evolved from a description of basic labour division to a framework that can be developed to improve operational efficiencies. In recent decades, a series of related concepts have grown around the core principle of process management. These include, but are not limited to, business process management (BPM), knowledge management and total quality management (TQM).

It is widely accepted that there are three key types of business process which these concepts seek to improve, as described in The Complete Business Handbook. These are as follows:

1. Management processes. These systematic processes govern organisational needs and are widely used to execute an activity, such as implementing new projects or developing company strategy.
2. Operational processes. Much more common and widespread than management processes, these create & contribute to the primary value stream – such as product manufacturing or distribution.
3. Supporting processes. These do not contribute to the primary value stream, but are necessary for an organisation to function correctly. Examples include accounting, recruitment and sales.

Defining Your Business Processes

While understanding the concept of a business process may be beneficial, it is of equal importance to define and manage the processes that take place within your own organisation. This should be achieved by identifying inputs and outputs rather than departmental functions. Breaking down processes by department alone can lead to unnecessary silos, hindering communication and providing an incomplete picture of the organisation.

Processes should always be designed to streamline activities and balance increased value with resource allocation. Unnecessary steps, or stages which add little value should be eliminated where possible. In order to simplify complex processes, difficult or lengthy items can be broken down into sub-processes, each of which include their own inputs & outputs, to form a super-process.

To implement process standardisation throughout the organisation, it is recommended that only one modelling technique is used. Though there are a variety of options that can be employed to achieve this, BPM (business process management) is the most commonly used. The purpose of BPM is to visually represent all business processes, then use the resulting diagrams to find ways in which existing processes can be optimised – improving organisational efficiencies.

BPM is traditionally carried out by a team comprising of business analysts with modelling experience and process specialists who understand the tasks involved in every stage. The result of a successful BPM project may be reduced costs, increased value, speed or even quality – depending on the needs of the company. It is important to note that while technology is not required to undertake BPM, it is often a key driver of project demand due to the need for artefact documentation when implementing new IT systems.

Becoming a Process-Driven Organisation

Smart organisations aren’t waiting for technological advancements to create a need for business process management, but adopting a process-driven approach to actively improve efficiencies. However, many businesses fail to achieve this due to a lack of understanding regarding what exactly a process-driven approach means.

To become process-driven, it is important to dispel a few myths surrounding the approach. Many organisations believe that simply documenting all existing processes and providing employees with a handbook explaining each is a process driven approach. However, this alone does not contribute to any of the goals that business processes aim to achieve. It also favours operational processes, leaving management & supporting items undocumented.

Instead, a process-driven organisation establishes a culture of learning, adaptation and encourages employees to manage complexity. As the business grows, the number of systems in place naturally grow as well. Therefore, it is key for employees to have access to current processes, as well as a mechanism through which to suggest improvements and contribute to process refinement.

By implementing an employee empowerment & change management strategy, it is possible to source regular improvements to any process from those that carry it out most often. However, to ensure that the business becomes truly process driven, an organisation must follow three key steps:

1. Document all current processes, broken down by objectives to avoid departmental silos. Ensure employees are aware of all relevant processes and have the tools required to complete the actions.
2. Provide a managed platform for employees to develop process improvements and submit suggestions to a central implementation team.
3. Create a dedicated business analysis function with a mandate and the equipment to improve processes within the organisation. This function will act as gatekeepers to process innovation and review all suggested improvements.

While there is no single way to guarantee a return on BPM investment, providing your team with a robust, easy-to-use system which can be used to develop, refine and deploy new processes is vital. Low code application development environments are a vital aspect of business process management, as these tools enable employees to easily create & suggest mobile apps that replace traditional paper-based systems – thus improving efficiencies.

By providing a platform through which employees can engage with process development (even without technical knowledge), organisations can find significant gains in efficiency – with a comparably low level of investment. The CommonTime Infinity platform is one example of a low-code platform that utilises a process-driven approach, allowing employees to easily map actions to application pages & artefacts.

To achieve BPM success, all three elements of a process-driven approach must be adopted. Organisations must consider carefully the role of employees, specialists and processes themselves – while maintaining situational awareness and a clear vision of future growth. Ultimately, only companies that successfully navigate the complexity that growth entails will thrive in the decades to come.

See how CommonTime Infinity can help transform your company into a process-driven organisation. Read more about the role of our powerful, low-code development platform in the mobilisation of key business processes.

The post What Is a Business Process & Why Is It Important to Define? appeared first on CommonTime.

You can watch the full interview for yourself through the following link or by clicking on the image below: http://bit.ly/2aKiqQ3.

It was really interesting to discuss the current makeup of the healthcare technology industry and how collaboration between suppliers is affecting the ability to deliver true integrated care across departments, services and organisations.

With greater focus than ever on delivering joined-up care throughout a patients care pathway, integration capability support from larger prominent healthcare system providers will be crucial to delivering successful solutions. With the new digital opportunity of integrating health and social care systems and processes too, this integration will be pivotal to the success of any integrated care project.

Discussing how patient needs can be met outside hospital services was another really interesting area we discussed. There has been a surge in demand from patients to be more involved in their care and treatment as of late, and self-monitoring and management solutions have the potential to transform preventative care strategies across the UK.

Here at CommonTime we are focused on delivering mobile solutions which meet the needs of the NHS digital agenda and support the ‘Five Year Forward View’. We work with our partners in healthcare to deliver solutions which improve patient experiences and staff efficiency and support the paperless 2020 target. With this approach, we are confident that we are well placed to support and meet the requirements of an ever-changing modern day NHS to deliver true clinical impacts and efficiencies across the whole digital spine.

The post The Digital Spine of Healthcare in a Transforming NHS appeared first on CommonTime.

Operating across Hampshire County and parts of Surrey, First Wessex maintain circa 21,000 homes for rent or purchase, developing over 300 new homes each year. With ongoing constraints on public sector spending and demanding austerity measures, housing associations like First Wessex are always looking for ways to ‘do more with less’ and the development of mobile apps using the mDesign RMAD platform is one way of enabling this change.

Taking the Platform Approach to App Development

A key driver for First Wessex was to obtain a development platform solution that would provide autonomy across their mobile application development programme, with the aim of reacting quickly to the ever changing needs of the organisation.

By adopting the mDesign platform from CommonTime, First Wessex have been able to ensure consistent application development with this centralised approach. All apps created are device agnostic and can be deployed across any platform; Apple, Android or Windows and any app changes or amendments can be made centrally and pushed down to all users, enabling rapid and seamless app updates.

Since first implementing the mDesign platform in 2014, First Wessex utilised their existing in-house technical standard skillsets (JavaScript, HTML, SQL, CSS) to create their first fully integrated mobile solution in under 10 weeks.

What Have First Wessex Achieved?

The variety of applications being developed by First Wessex; in terms of numbers, functionality, integration and purpose, all highlight the flexibility of the mDesign platform. Each app has been created to mobilise processes for different departments in the organisation such as; Property Services, Estate Management, Tenant Services, Sales & Lettings.

To date, First Wessex have created the following mobile apps:

• Survey Tracker
• Green Living Assessments
• Health and Safety Site Inspection
• ‘Settling In’ Assessment
• Rechargeable Works & Repairs
• Grounds Maintenance
• Van Inspection
• Tenancy Termination

With the creation of the above apps and with many more scheduled, First Wessex are challenging the idea that mobile working is simply replicating a paper-based form on a mobile device, proving that there are real benefits for tenants and staff alike that can be achieved.

The post First Wessex Housing Make Move to Mobile appeared first on CommonTime.

The AskAxl solution incorporates significant elements of mobile technology from CommonTime and we’re delighted that our technology has been part of the winning project for Arrow XL.

One of the MTA judges said the solution was an example of “good cutting-edge technology for the benefit of the customer and provider”. Another commented: “Arrow XL is providing its customers with something they want. This has good quantifiable benefits for both Arrow XL, in terms of efficiency, and its customers in terms of experience”.

Congratulations to all the team at Arrow XL for a fantastic achievement.

The post CommonTime Customer Wins Prestigious Industry Award appeared first on CommonTime.

Working Towards Integrated Care

One of the overarching themes of the event was the drive in the NHS towards joining up patient care between services and system interoperability and integration. With delegates in attendance from across the NHS and local government, integrating health and social care services was prominently featured in several presentations, examining the associated technical challenges of consolidating multiple disparate systems into one central digital care record.

The Hillingdon Care Record (HCR) Mobile App

One such presentation was from Charles Yeomanson, ICT Director at The Hillingdon Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. At Hillingdon, there has been a drive to integrate all local systems into one central location which has led to the development and launch of their Hillingdon Care Record (HCR) mobile app in partnership with CommonTime, which you can read more about here. During his presentation, Charles discussed the paperless objectives of the Trust, along with the service efficiency gains achieved since the launch of the app, namely:

• 337,000 documents sent to GP’s in 2015/16
• Over 10,000 GP’s alerted to patients at risk between Jan-May 2016
• Interoperability with Palliative Care and GP systems

As well as this presentation from Charles other speakers discussed the topics of outcome based commissioning, innovation during care pathways, the impact of the Transfer of Care Initiative and the best ways of implementing, using and maintaining digital communications and mobile working.

Mobile Technology in a Digital NHS

Being mobile healthcare specialists ourselves here at CommonTime it was really exciting to hear how new exciting mobility projects are launching all over the NHS, along with how digital transformation projects are having real, clinical benefits in a variety of teams, disciplines and departments. We’ve seen projects arise for supporting carers in the community, managing maternity caseloads, patient self-management, risk assessments, portering and much more.

If you have an idea for any clinical or operational mobile app then feel to contact us for some no obligation advice on how you can mobilise your app idea.

The post CommonTime at the Excellence in Healthcare Show appeared first on CommonTime.

1. A person with a highly desirable job, who works in a funky office with multi-coloured bean bags and is able to command a fortune for their ‘niche’ technology skills.

Not any more!

Gartner and other authorities are already predicting an increase in the number of enterprise apps (ie. business apps for a specific purpose) that will be required in the next 12 months. They (Gartner et al) are also predicting a significant shortfall in the skill base required to address the increased demand for these apps. It’s classic case of demand (for apps) outstripping supply (the resources to develop them).

To overcome this situation enterprises have a number of options which are available to them:-

1. Train more developers – spend time nurturing people to the necessary skill level to deliver apps until the shopping-list of required apps is complete.
2. Stop requesting apps – keep the backlog of required apps manageable by not allowing people to request apps and digitise their world – do they really know what they want anyway?
3. Make development times shorter – reduce the delivery time of apps in order to allow a greater throughput.

Individually, each of these could be a solution the enterprise app situation but what if an enterprise could do all of these things AND still keep momentum through their digital transformation journey? The answer is that they can! Let’s have a look at the above in a bit more detail, but in reverse order:

Make development times shorter

The truth with app development is that, in many cases, users don’t know exactly what they want from an app, and what they actually want may differ significantly from the original app brief. As a user there are expectations that the app will be stable, that it will update painlessly and it will have the ability to ‘change’ over time. Taking this view, I don’t believe that any app is ever fully finished; it is just ‘ready’ at a particular point in time. We’re not talking about sequential releases here, we’re talking about a constant, fluid model of development.

This is a tough mindset to get into as, historically, software development has tended to be a very monolithic entity with everyone aspiring to get to a final nirvana and ultimate sign off. However, in the new digital space this model doesn’t fit quite so well. What I believed was important yesterday may have changed today. My product (ie. app) roadmap has to update to allow for this innovation. The ‘fixed’ items on this list may cover the next 3-6 months, but the further 12-18 months will be much less rigid.

Development times can be shortened by allowing what is ‘ready’ to be available NOW and then improving it over time. The process for improvement can then be at a pace to suit the enterprise and will incorporate feedback from users and allow for changes. Surely this will result in a better product in the long run!

In my role at CommonTime I’m frequently presented with an app idea from a customer and asked “How long will this take to develop?” My answer varies depending on the end-user but I always want to speak to the client, discuss their requirements and see how we can best assist them: Do they really know what they want the app to do? Have they canvassed their teams to discuss what they want the app to do? Have they discussed which features are vital NOW and which features could be added later?

Get these questions answered before you start coding and you can reduce the development time (ie. getting the app to the ‘ready’ and usable stage) significantly quicker.

Stop requesting apps!

Is this really an option? Should enterprises stifle innovation within their organisation, allow stagnation and potentially become less competitive?

No, of course not. What should be done is a review of what apps are actually needed, an evaluation of the various development options and a sensible decision on the what/when/how of app creation, based on the facts. This normally requires an owner of the digital ‘roadmap’.

The key phrase here is ‘actually needed’; not just in terms of the features of the app, but more importantly the processes and functions that the app will be designed to mobilise. When CommonTime is called in to provide advice and expertise to a customer, we have a duty to evaluate other suitable products which might be applicable to the project. We are critical of the customer requirements in relation to these other products and (if appropriate) see if value can actually be achieved elsewhere.

Let me give you an example. My personal business background came from ‘mail client’ software and right now if I was asked by a customer to build an app to deliver mail client features, I would say “no”! Why would someone pay me for a feature-set that exists already off the shelf? Can we integrate with a mail client? Of course we can. Can we work with other providers? Of course we can. But there’s no way that a bespoke app solution would be able to compare (and compete) to either what exists natively or by those specialist vendors if (and it’s a BIG if), that’s all the functionality the customer required.

However, flipping that thought around – if an enterprise has one of those monolithic systems which includes a mobile offering that doesn’t do what is required by the end user, then creating apps which enhance and extend that system can start to offer real value. It boils down to the question – “Do I actually need an app at all?”

Train more developers

In addition to Gartner’s predictions about the rise in enterprise apps, they also predict that Business Analysts (ie. non ‘technical’ personnel) will become the new app developers in the future.

This is great news! What if you really could shift the onus away from the Dev guys and put it onto the teams who really knew the business? What if you could take the evolving app development approach outlined above, incorporate some ‘coalface’ decisions on roadmap items and then get the guys who actually know what they want from the app to develop it?

Does that mean I can scrap my Dev team? Absolutely not. Simply use them more effectively. Get them to build micro services that allow re-use. Get them to build integration points and own the app deployment processes. Help them to do what they do best (unless you have a ‘business prevention’ department instead of a business systems team!) and split the skill set between themselves and the Business Analysts (ie. people who will actually use the app!)

A good software developer who understands the business requirements, who can engage with project stakeholders AND who can write quality code is hard to come by (and expensive!). The people who know the app process, who can live and breathe the customer/user experience and can really understand what ‘ready’ means instead of ‘finished’ are not the Dev team – they’re the Business Analysts within an organisation. Empower these people to take control of the app creation process and your potential is infinite!

In summary. There are some exciting changes happening in the enterprise app space. The app culture is with us now and will remain – so embrace it! Allow and encourage innovation. Promote collaboration between departments and functions. Empower your staff and get them involved! Do this and watch your digital strategy unfold.

A Bit About Us

Here at CommonTime we’re totally behind this new model of enterprise app creation. With our app creation platform, mDesign, we can offer packages that will suit your vision and allow you to develop as an organisation. Whether you have a single app requirement; need an app development platform to empower your users; or need a full enterprise service at a fixed cost per month, we can help.

Customers such as Carillion, London & South Eastern Railways, the NHS and a wide range of other enterprise customers have put their faith in us. We’ve helped them to deliver cost savings, efficiency gains and other real business benefits. We believe that we could do the same for you.

The post The App Developer is Dead, Long Live the App Developer! appeared first on CommonTime.

Since these apps were launched onto the Apple App Store and Google Play the feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. Patients, clinicians and loved ones have been able to access a wealth of detailed information on their smartphone and tablet devices which they would not normally have.

Young Onset Dementia (YOD) App

The YOD service app has been designed in a similar guise but with more focus on promoting post-diagnosis support.

Through this app patients can discover and share information about their condition with family and friends, access and contact national support networks and services for advice and assistance, and receive guidance on living with the condition in relation to relationships, working, finances, driving and more.

Electro-Convulsive Therapy (ECT) App

This new, modern ECT app is allowing mental health patients to make fully informed decisions about their care by challenging the stigma surrounding ECT treatment.

Through the app. patients are provided with an insight into how the treatment procedure works, views and opinions from patients who have had the treatment previously along with views from clinical staff directly involved in managing the service.

How Have LHIS Achieved This?

LHIS have designed and built both of these mobile apps using the CommonTime Rapid Mobile Application Development (RMAD) platform; mDesign.

This platform has given LHIS the tools to independently create apps for any desired clinical or operational processes. To date, both the ECT and YOD apps have been created in mDesign with plans to create the Friends & Family Test app next along with several others over the next 6 – 12 months.

If you would like to find out more about how the team at Leicestershire Health Informatics Service have used the mDesign platform to create these apps then you can download the full case study here.

See for yourself how LHIS have successfully adopted mobile technology across their service in our new video which you can view here.

The post Mobile Apps Focus for Leicestershire Health Informatics Service appeared first on CommonTime.

Catalyst provides 21,000 homes to over 40,000 customers across London and the South East. As part of their ongoing transformation programme, Catalyst wanted members of their Customer Service teams to be able to more effectively manage large geographical ‘patches’ and to carry out business functions and processes whilst out in the field. To support this, the teams needed a mobile solution that would allow them to complete end-to-end tasks more efficiently whilst working remotely.

The adoption of the mDesign development platform by Catalyst is seen as a valuable enabler for improving customer service levels and streamlining their business processes performed by their Customer Service teams. Catalyst and CommonTime have already worked in partnership to create a mobile App which has securely integrated with Catalyst’s incumbent ‘Orchard’ housing management system. The App has been custom-designed to mobilise Catalyst’s operational processes and has allowed Catalyst to include functionality that extends beyond the capabilities currently available within their Orchard system.

Having developed their skills on the mDesign platform, Catalyst is now set to launch their new ‘Neighbourhood Management’ App with their neighbourhood experience team. They expect to further extend deployment across other teams in the coming months, which will allow other specific departmental tasks and processes to be mobilised. Ultimately, the App will enable a number of Catalyst teams to work more efficiently and provide higher levels of service to their customers.

Once the App is deployed it will enable Catalyst teams to:

– Give customers a better experience by making face-to-face interactions streamlined and paperless
– Refer customers with support needs to colleagues who can assist them
– Record the outcomes of estate inspections in real time
– Request work to resolve environmental issues on Catalyst estates as soon as they are identified or reported
– Access information about Catalyst customers and properties.

Catalyst anticipate that the new App will have a significant impact on their business; improving operational efficiency and reducing costs. They expect the benefits to include:-

– Improved customer interactions & outcomes
– Faster service turnaround times as data input delay is avoided
– Better quality data capture
– Greater efficiency due to a reduction in the time required to access information and to perform business processes whilst working remotely
– Reduction in travel time & costs

Stephen Bassett, Head of Project Delivery and Planning at Catalyst said:
“We chose CommonTime not just because of their previous experience with similar mobile applications, but also because they could train our team to create apps and to update and maintain them moving forward. CommonTime have been an incredibly supportive partner and have enabled us to fully deliver this important element of our technology transformation.”

Ian Knight, CEO at CommonTime commented:
“It’s fantastic to see how Catalyst are utilising the capabilities of our mDesign platform to progress their mobile working strategy. The neighbourhood management app will make a real positive difference to their mobile staff and will help to maintain the incredibly high levels of service they deliver to their customers.”

About Catalyst
Catalyst is one of the leading housing associations in the London and the South Eastern area of the UK. They provide over 21,000 homes to residents through a wide range of rental and home ownership schemes and serve over 40,000 customers across 40 local authority areas.

Catalyst has been at the forefront of social housing for over 80 years, and is constantly adapting and evolving their services both to meet customers’ changing needs and to respond to the economic challenges presented by welfare reform and other changes to their external environment.

Media Contact:

Giles Henshaw, Marketing Manager:
CommonTime Ltd
Tel: +44 01332 542037
giles.henshaw@commontime.com

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