AGILE INNOVATION IN NHS TRUSTS - COMPLIANCE AND QUALITY IMPROVEMENT

THE CHALLENGE

NHS Trusts were grappling with the need to comply with national initiatives and mandates, which required a detailed and nuanced understanding of the actions necessary to meet these directives. Traditional project management methods were proving inadequate for the dynamic and complex environment of healthcare, where clinical input and patient engagement are crucial.

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THE SOLUTION

Whitetree consultants introduced an Agile approach to program and project management, tailored to the healthcare setting. This method involved:

• Collaborating closely with clinical leads to break down mandatory actions into actionable sub-tasks.

• Employing the MoSCoW technique to prioritise tasks as Must-haves, Should-haves, Could-haves, or Won't-haves at this time.

• Estimating the effort for each task using Agile story points.

• Organising the tasks into short, focused delivery sprints, adaptable to the evolving priorities of the program.

IMPLEMENTATION & RESULTS

• The Agile framework facilitated productive sprints, enabling NHS Trusts to adapt to changes swiftly while ensuring that all necessary actions were completed efficiently.

• A 'three lines of defence' assurance model was established to rigorously evaluate the effectiveness of the actions at various organisational levels, ensuring high-quality outcomes that could withstand scrutiny by regulators and the public.

• The approach empowered co-production with patient and service-user groups, leading to nominations for awards by the Patient Experience Network.

• For one Trust, this method supported the development of a £2.7 million business case for a Transformation Programme, complete with NHS-specification Quality and Equality Impact Assessments and a comprehensive risk assessment.

• Across various Trusts, the implementation of this Agile system has not only resulted in over £1 million in rebates but also in the effective delivery of staff-driven suggestions for change, often in collaboration with platforms like ImproveWell.

​Whitetree's pioneering use of Agile methodologies in the NHS Trusts has demonstrated that flexible, iterative project management can bring about substantial compliance and service improvements in the healthcare sector, leading to enhanced patient experiences and financial benefits for the Trusts.