Technology

Posted on August 22, 2018 by staff

Cloud will shape future of GM’s devolved health services

Technology

The body responsible for overseeing the devolution of Greater Manchester’s health and social care services is working with public sector IT specialist Shaping Cloud as it looks to transition to the cloud.

The Greater Manchester Health and Social Care (GMHSC) Partnership is made up of NHS organisations and councils in the region, and is tasked with overseeing devolution and taking charge of the £6 billion health and social care budget.

Shaping Cloud is undertaking an ‘asset review’ across all organisations involved in the partnership, which will allow it to identify what software applications are being used across the region and highlight opportunities for more cost-effective procurement practices.

“Cloud is coming whether we like it or not,” said Stephen Dobson, GMHSC Partnership’s interim chief digital officer.

“What I want to do is to accelerate the move to the cloud across Greater Manchester. I’m trying to get to the future faster.”

Dobson added: “Seeing what technology is in use across the public sector should mean the review will pay for itself in procurement efficiencies.

“However, it is the wider benefits of cloud adoption that are more attractive.”

Dobson said the cloud will improve the partnership’s ability to “access what we need from wherever we are”.

He used an example of an NHS consultant who is needed in a different hospital, and says that he or she would be able to access the information and applications they require without needing a new piece of kit or another laptop.

“That’s a huge benefit both for staff and for the patient,” he said.

Once the infrastructure is in place, Dobson said the region will have a platform where it will be “easier to collaborate and improve the delivery of health and social care services”.

He added: “It’s vital that we change how we use technology across our services. We must deliver on this, for the benefit of patients and our health and care workforce.”

Chosen for its experience in public sector IT, hybrid cloud and digital transformation, Shaping Cloud has already worked with some of the region’s health and local authorities.

It is now set to support Mayor Andy Burnham’s vision of Manchester as the UK’s leading digital city and deliver ‘the greatest and fastest possible improvement to the health and wellbeing for the 2.8m people of Greater Manchester’.

“Our work with the partnership will create a blueprint for a modern IT infrastructure at an organisational, local and regional level,” said founder and CEO Carlos Oliveira.

He added: “We’re fully behind Greater Manchester’s mission to improve the health and wellbeing of every citizen in the region. It’s about people achieving their potential and amplifying Manchester’s position as a world-class city.

“It’s a big responsibility and one we’re happy to help with.”