LaingBuisson Private Healthcare Summit 2019

Last week, we attended the annual LaingBuisson Private Healthcare Summit in Westminster.

The Summit is always a good event for gaining valuable insight into the latest developments and innovations within the private healthcare market. And a great opportunity to catch up with our customers and industry contacts alike.

Streets Heaver Sales Manager, Stuart Hymers discusses the events proceedings and how they align within our own company growth…

Several key topics were discussed throughout the Summit. And even from a perspective outside of private healthcare, it was reassuring to see that a lot of the themes debated, very much mirror what we ourselves are trying to achieve within our organisation; in terms of improving health, customer and employee experience and driving efficiency through the use of appropriate IT solutions.

Is prevention better than the cure?

The Summit saw both the speakers from Nuffield Health and the insurance company Vitality, speak about “Prevention being better than Cure”. How that it was important in improving a patient’s health and well being, by intervening sooner in their pathway – promoting the right exercise and advice. Ultimately trying to prevent or delay invasive surgical procedures.

As a company, we have provided our colleagues with private medical insurance for many years. And indeed a number of them and their partners have benefited from accessing high quality private healthcare more quickly when needed. Some of which is just not readily available on the NHS.

We have provided our colleagues with private medical insurance for many years

More recently, we have invested in our office environment and have provided adjustable/standing desks and gym balls; due to the proven health benefits that more movement and activity bring. Especially for office based workers.

Last month we completed a “Step Challenge”. Employees who took part needed to reach 10,000 or more steps a day, every day, for the month. Those that achieved it won an extra day of annual leave.

Providing the right environment

It was also great to hear from Summit speakers outside of the private healthcare sphere and to receive a talk from Nick Butcher from the Design Agency “Beyond London”. One of UK’s leading retail design agencies.

This insightful presentation discussed the importance of the design of a hospital’s patient facing areas. In terms of providing both efficient patient flow around the hospital, and a modern, tranquil and relaxing environment for the patient (at a time which is often quite stressful for them).

It was pleasing to see what our customers have achieved in their own hospital designs

Working in private healthcare, I am lucky enough to have worked with a number of our longstanding private hospitals (such as the Bupa Cromwell Hospital and King Edward VII’s Hospital). And also with some of the newer private hospital groups within the UK market (such as Circle Health, One Healthcare and ASI Healthcare).

It was pleasing to see that what our customers have achieved in their own hospital designs, very much fits the design ethos discussed in this session. They really do put the patient at the centre of their hospital’s overall look and feel. Providing both functional, and attractive facilities, for their patients, clinicians and staff alike.

The changes we’ve been making at the office are along the right track

At Streets Heaver, we ourselves have invested in modern open plan offices which promote improved communication and collaborative working. We also offer soft furnished and quiet breakout areas to allow our meetings, conversations and coaching sessions with our teams, a different type of atmosphere.

Therefore it was gratifying – even though we’re not a hospital – to hear that the changes we’ve been making at the office are along the right track in terms of a ‘people-first’ working environment.

Data driven decisions

I especially enjoyed the talk from Mr David Sweetnam, Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon, regarding what he, as the Head of Knee Surgery, and the Schoen Clinic London, are doing in terms of making use of data throughout the patient pathway to optimise and improve health outcomes.

As both a Software Solutions provider and also as a forward thinking employer, we’re always looking for new ways to innovate on behalf of our customers. Making full use of the spectrum of data recorded within our Compucare system. And allowing our customers to make informed decisions about the day to day operations of their hospitals.

We’re always looking for new ways to innovate on behalf of our customer

We have insightful reporting on activity and profitability data, and have also recently launched a new ‘Forms’ feature and ‘PROMs’ portal. Allowing customers to design their own dataset collection; as well as an understanding of health outcomes.

We’re also trying to instill an ethos of Growth and Learning within all of the areas within our business.

We want to move away from the age old excuse of “that’s how we’ve always done it…” Instead, creating an environment that allows us to review data, be open minded and to benefit from continuous incremental improvements and efficiency gains within our processes, procedures and services.

The importance of ‘experience’

Mary Vance, of Cemplicity, further reinforced the earlier Summit discussions on the importance of the patient experience and outcomes data driven decisions.

The benefits of good customer service are obvious (better relationships, retention, referrals and revenue growth). Mary discussed that great customer service only ever becomes ‘business as usual’ in an organisation, when there is buy in from the very top.

Great customer service only ever becomes ‘business as usual’ in an organisation, when there is buy in from the very top

As a company, we have always tried to build relationships by going above and beyond for our customers. We recognised recently, as more automated solutions were implemented within the business, our touch points with our customers had become more electronic and less personal/less conducive to relationship building.

Thankfully through identifying this, I feel that we’re very much implementing sensible changes and fine tuning our customers’ experience of working with us. Striving for Excellent Customer Service and Relationships are what we do best.

Striving for Excellent Customer Service and Relationships are what we do best.

We engaged with a fantastic third party consultancy and training provider “Newland Partners”; and delivered customer service training across every department within our business. Not just those who are directly customer facing. We then appointed Customer Service Champions within every department to deliver additional training when required and to continually review and hone the customer experience.

There was some debate during the conference as to whether the term Patient, could equally be interchanged with the word Customer or Consumer. I think what everyone could agree on, myself included, is this…

If every person that a patient encounters has not just concern for their physical well being, but also empathy and a desire to delight their patient/customer, that this would do wonders for their businesses.

What’s coming next?

The Summit closed with a talk on what’s coming next in healthcare; in terms of both Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning. Also what services that are traditionally provided face to face, could be virtualised in today’s modern world. Particularly using the smart phones that we all now carry.

As a company at the forefront of healthcare software solutions, this is exactly the sort of challenge that we’re researching all the time. It was interesting to hear about the success of virtual patient assessments/video conferencing being used to both provide convenience to the patient and a lower more affordable and more efficient delivery of care.

As a company at the forefront of healthcare software solutions, this is exactly the sort of challenge that we’re researching all the time

This year will see Compucare venture into a number of exciting new areas within the hospital; including Patient Consultations, Current Medication, ePrescribing and Drugs Administration recording. However the solution that I am most looking forward to discussing with our customers is our new Compucare Ward App.

Nurses provisioned with handheld devices (such as the iPod Touch or iPhone), will use the app for monitoring their allocated patients. Having vital information in the palm of their hand. Then able to view and record important observations data whilst their patients are recovering on the ward. All of this data is then synced back to Compucare in real-time, to provide clinicians with instant updates on a patient’s recovery. And easily displayed via our electronic Bed Board.

I personally look forward to the next LaingBuisson “Private Acute Healthcare” Conference in October. It will no doubt introduce another exciting mix of speakers, but also important insights into the market as a whole.