Local digital programmes shortlisted for prestigious national awards

Two digital programmes in Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes have been shortlisted at the prestigious HSJ Digital Awards 2023.

Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes Integrated Care System’s (BLMK ICS) Digitising Social Care (DiSC) programme has been shortlisted as a finalist in the ‘Connecting health and social care through Digital’ category.

In addition, BLMK ICS’s ‘Shine Programme’ has been shortlisted as a finalist in the ‘Improving Mental Health through Digital’ category.

The DiSC programme

The DiSC programme is helping to transform the face of social care across Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes by identifying and implementing a range of new digital technologies to help improve resident care.

As part of the innovative approach, the BLMK ICS NHS, local authority and care sector partners are working collaboratively to develop and provide innovative solutions that focus on improvements in three key areas – health monitoring, falls prevention and digital records.

Through the introduction of digital support and technology, such as acoustic monitoring and digitising social care records, the DiSC programme is helping the care sector provide the safest and highest quality care to residents and enables people to stay independent for as long as possible.

The programme also helps save care homes time, effort and resources – allowing teams to spend more time caring for the people who use their services in the environment they see as home.

Clare Steward, Digitising Social Care programme director, says: “We are extremely proud to be shortlisted for the HSJ Digital Awards. It is really exciting that our partnership working and the innovative way in which we are using the technology across the care sector in BLMK is being recognised.

“We want to celebrate our achievements and share our successes to inspire other health and care systems to do the same for the benefit of their residents, their carers, and the workforce.”

Patricia Coker, senior responsible officer on the programme, adds: “The DiSC programme is a fantastic example of collaborative working across the BLMK Health and Care Partnership, with the outcomes allowing us to help improve the experience of care for residents and free-up valuable time for care staff to provide more personalised care.”

The Shine Programme

The Shine Programme is a unique digital approach to support staff and patient wellbeing. Pressure on primary care services in England has been well documented, and in recognition of this issue, BLMK ICB set up a collaboration with NHS digital transformation experts, Arden & GEM, and evidence-based mental health tool developers, ShinyMind. This collaborative partnership co-designed and delivered the Shine Programme which has improved the wellbeing of the primary care workforce while simultaneously enabling patients to better self-manage their mental health.

The Shine Programme is based upon the ShinyMind app, which was originally developed for and co-created with NHS staff. Primary care staff have undertaken virtual training sessions as well as accessing the ShinyMind app, to improve and empower their wellbeing and resilience. A confidential research questionnaire found that 91% of staff engaging with the programme reported an improvement in wellbeing and 64% reported a greater likelihood to continue working in primary care.

Trained staff are then able to prescribe ShinyMind as a wellbeing resource for patients using a bespoke prescribing portal which was designed in partnership with practices. The programme targets citizens aged over-18, including those experiencing anxiety and depression, living with long-term conditions or facing the greatest health inequalities. Once prescribed, users receive access to ‘LifePacks’ (e.g. coping with anxiety and mental wellness.) that are matched to their needs to deliver personalised support and empower better self-management.

Dr Sarah Whiteman, Chief Medical Director for Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes Integrated Care Board, said: “The Shine programme is a brilliant way to improve the wellbeing of patients and the staff that support them. It’s such an exciting and innovative approach that works for a modern world, so I’m delighted to see that it’s being recognised as part of these awards.”

Janet Thornley, Strategic General Practice Nurse Lead for BLMK ICS, who leads the programme, said: “It has been exciting to see the interest being generated among our colleagues, who are feeling the benefit of the programme at a personal level for wellbeing, as well as job satisfaction as relationships strengthen across teams. They are also seeing patients become more empowered and motivated in their daily lives by using the App for health improvements.”   

HSJ Digital Awards

HSJ editor, Alastair McLellan, comments: “On behalf of all my colleagues, it gives me great pleasure to congratulate BLMK ICS on being shortlisted.

“We’re all very much looking forward to welcoming our finalists to the awards ceremony in June, celebrating their impressive achievements and jointly acknowledging our values of sharing best practice, improving patient outcomes and continuously driving for better service.”