Background
Choose and Book is one the major deliverables of NHS the National Programme for Information Technology (NPfIT). Choose and Book is a national system for real time electronic booking of hospital appointments and electronic transfer of referral information between General Practitioners and hospital consultants and is being deployed to over 8,800 GP Practices and around 175 hospital trusts throughout England.
The system was also one of the first deliverables of the newly formed NHS National Programme for IT and was delivered on time and on budget in an unprecedented timeframe.
Approach
Changing the business process
ASE Consulting were engaged right from the start of the Choose and Book programme initially to develop the business processes required to support a significant change to the way patients are referred by their General Practitioner to their first outpatient’s appointment. This business process changed dramatically from being NHS focused (i.e. hospital consultants decided when to see the patient) to a patient focused (i.e. where the patient would be able to choose which hospital and consultant they would see and choose the date and time, from a list of appointments, for when they would like to be seen) thus removing the uncertainty and worry associated with waiting lists and making the whole process convenient to the patient’s needs. These process changes were underpinned by IT, moving from paper based processes to online electronic processes.
A national multi supplier IT solution
Following contract award ASE Consulting proceeded to work closely with NHS stakeholders and the chosen supplier on the detailed functional design for the system and provided technical assurance of the architecture and infrastructure design. The design, build and testing phase was completed to very high quality standards and to strict timescales allowing the system to go live with its first electronic bookings on time and within budget.
In addition to the design and assurance of the centralised national architecture, ASE Consulting developed a design assurance and compliance approach for the many third party suppliers of General Practice and Hospital Systems that would integrate with the national solution and worked closely with those suppliers to ensure a working end to end design.
Outcome
A model programme recognised by OGC
ASE consultants, working as part of a multi disciplinary team, prepared an output based specification and entered into negotiations with 8 suppliers who responded to the Invitation to Tender. The procurement was completed in a record time of 180 days and with the utmost levels of technical assurance and stakeholder engagement which, following in depth reviews of the programme, was publically recognised by the OGC as “an approach that will define new best practice”.
The Choose and Book solution is now used in over 90% of all GP Practices in England for over 50% of all patient referrals to outpatient consultations. To date there have been over 15 million referrals through the system representing a fundamental improvement in patient convenience and choice and the reduction in uncertainty, worry and lack of attendance.