Helping our NHS clients prosper
At UHY, we are passionate about our clients and building long-lasting relationships that ensure prosperity for all.
In our Birmingham office, our dedicated healthcare consultancy team has developed an ongoing partnership with numerous NHS organisations across the country. We have worked with NHS England regional teams, commissioners, providers and GP partnerships for over 20 years.
We are proud to contribute our expertise and resources to support the diverse needs of these various organisations. Here are just a few examples that demonstrate our collaborative partnership with the NHS, demonstrating how we have helped various trusts to prosper.
An NHS provider group is a collective membership organisation that collaborates to deliver a range of healthcare services to patients. These groups can include hospitals, community health services, mental health trusts, ambulance providers and other healthcare providers. Commonly, these groups play a vital role in ensuring the highest quality care is provided across different settings and specialities.
The situation
It is becoming increasingly common for NHS Trusts to work more closely under group models and even formal mergers. A healthcare client approached our Birmingham team seeking an assessment of the requirements and timescales to achieve a merged NHS provider group entity.
The UHY solution
Our team conducted the necessary research and developed a detailed Board report outlining requirements, outline transaction costs and a detailed project plan with critical path analysis.
The result
We liaised with group Executives and regulators to identify the requirements, assess readiness and develop a detailed project plan. The Board paper was supported and resulted in a revision of original timescales, enabling the infrastructure and strategic rationale to be enhanced, tested and the optimum response developed.
Learning point
We can collaborate and pool expertise to help clients optimise their decision-making and obtain clarity about requirements.
Strategic capital management involves the reviewing, planning, allocating and using financial resources, assessing and managing capital structure, and the mix of debt and equity finance employed to ensure the long-term solvency of an organisation.
The situation
We were approached by an NHS provider who required support to manage multiple strategic capital developments amounting to almost £100m of investment.
The UHY solution
Our dedicated team commenced a detailed review of the situation, developing and delivering a controlled approach that secured maximum available resources and helped deliver the schemes within the overall budget.
The result
The client was able to secure remaining capital funds for a programme that has been in development since pre-pandemic and for which it was likely that the source of funding would expire. They were also able to access funding for the expansion of operating theatres and a diagnostic centre, alongside balancing all capital resources to manage cost pressures arising from an urgent Care/Emergency Department expansion. Through ongoing conversation and negotiations with the regulator and the Department of Health and Social Care, funds were secured, and a financial management approach was agreed to ensure all schemes developed for the benefit of patients.
Learning point
By adopting a thorough and considered approach to often complicated and politically sensitive issues, we have the expertise to oversee and manage a fragile financial situation, and ensure objectives are met and the benefits realised.
Financial recovery planning is essential for organisations to navigate complex uncertainties, comply with regulations and ensure they establish sustainable and lasting futures in their sectors. By having a well-structured financial recovery plan in place, organisations can not only be better prepared to anticipate and manage risks effectively, but they can also restore the business to a stable and viable position in a timely manner if necessary.
The situation
We supported one of the UK’s largest NHS organisations to develop a detailed financial recovery plan after they had entered a deficit - £30m away from the plan it had initially agreed to with NHS England.
The UHY solution
Our team worked to develop a golden thread of information and ensured it was included in the financial recovery plan to outline and explain the main reasons behind the deficit and the modelled recovery trajectory through a period of stabilisation, transition and transformation. We also included governance changes and recommendations, programmes of work and efficiencies required to return to a break-even position. To ensure this solution was lasting, we worked with the Project Management Office, executives and partner organisations to develop a well-thought out and effective recovery plan, owned and understood by key stakeholders.
The result
The financial recovery plan created was reviewed by NHS England who commended the strategic plan and used it as an exemplar for other organisations in a deficit across the region. It became a framework of guidance to support those in similar circumstances. Additionally, our team helped to identify and monitor approximately £40m of savings in the first year of implementation. Within two years, the organisation had returned to break-even. We continue to work with our client to not only embed additional support with the plan but also provide ongoing guidance and advice with long-term finance modelling and other transformation programmes.
Learning point
When developing a financial recovery plan, it is essential to include a detailed description of how the position has deteriorated, how it will be stabilised and how, through transformative actions, it will be improved within an outlined timeline.
For the NHS, a lead provider model is one where an organisation holds a contract with commissioners for all services and then subcontracts to other providers within the collaborative venture.
The situation
An NHS Integrated Care Board required support to manage the financial aspects of transferring contracting responsibilities for services with budgets of over £200m to a lead provider model, with a ‘whole pathway of care’ to be commissioned from the Lead Provider.
The UHY solution
We led on the finance workstream for the transferring organisation, providing due diligence information and facilitating handover of financial services processes.
The result
Our support resulted in a successful transfer of services with budgets exceeding £200m, which in turn led to a more cohesive commissioning arrangement whereby pathways of care have become more integrated.
Learning point
The knowledge gained throughout this engagement has further advanced the support we are able to offer in collaborative and lead provider models.
The clinical service redesign considers the process of a patient’s journey from their perspective, identifying inefficiencies, delays or elements in the process which may not necessarily add value or are error-probe, with the aim of establishing a system that is safer, more effective and ensures an improved patient journey.
The situation
We were approached by an NHS Community Trust that had identified significant inefficiencies in the way their District Nursing teams, who travel to patient’s homes, were delivering services due to the way the teams were structured, located and managed. The Trust was eager to have these issues resolved to ensure quality care could commence once again.
The UHY solution
Our UHY Birmingham team harnessed Microsoft’s PowerMaps, nurse rotas, clinical data and traffic information to assess how the district nursing teams were delivering services across the region. Heatmaps of patient home locations were developed using this information and workshops were held with operational and clinical managers to determine how to restructure district nursing teams to become more effective and efficient.
The result
20 District Nursing teams were redesigned across Birmingham, involving hundreds of nurses who were now able to deliver high-quality care to all patients. Additionally, team hubs were relocated to a closer proximity to high patient density areas. This resulted in reduced travel time, more patient visits and better care delivered; it also provided cost-saving opportunities for the Trust.
Learning point
The knowledge and application used throughout this engagement has been transferrable to offer positive solutions for other clients, such as the utilisation and rationalisation of organisations estate.
A GP super-partnership is a legal partnership made up of individual practices that have joined together to form one single entity. By merging, practitioners have the opportunity to pool resources and expertise, giving them more flexibility and efficiency in the way they work; reducing administrative tasks and allowing GPs to dedicate more time and focus on patient care. However, the degree of autonomy retained by each practice and how things like profits are shared depend on the business model adopted and implemented by the partnership.
The situation
The structure and arrangement of an NHS superpartnership client, comprising of over 30 individual partnerships, posed significant challenges in terms of reporting and visibility of the corporate financial position. Establishing a clear understanding of the finances required considerable time and effort due to the complexity of the arrangement.
The UHY solution
After immersing ourselves in the operations of the super-partnership to gain a full understanding of their needs, our team helped identify, procure and configure a financial system add-on. This solution enabled the creation of bespoke reports tailored to their specific requirements, effectively addressing the issues they faced.
The result
The impact of the financial system implemented has been extremely positive, most notable is the considerable time saved as a result. Consolidated accounts for over 30 entities can now be rapidly drafted and reviewed, and external requirements met. The system has been used to develop benchmarking and financial diagnostic capabilities, together with enabling the roll out of workshops and a training programme to provide GP partners and Practice Managers with access to live financial information, greater visibility, ownership and understanding of the financials that should enhance decision making.
Learning point
Through a considered and carefully crafted solution to one issue, significant benefits can be accessed over a broader spectrum, ultimately helping the client prosper and achieve their goals.
Our commitment to the healthcare sector
Our dedication to the healthcare sector spans decades; providing services to both public and private organisations, delivering comprehensive and effective interim and project management services, including, but not limited to, financial planning and reporting, governance, demand and capacity modelling, service-line management and reporting; project support and management solutions.
From NHS England; commissioners; acute, community, mental health and ambulance trusts; and GP super-partnerships, we have a team who are dedicated to supporting NHS organisations.
Additionally, we pride ourselves on not just delivering technical financial expertise but on our personalised commitment, enthusiasm and approach to helping our clients prosper and achieve their vision and mission. We tailor our approach to ensure we not only achieve but exceed expectations.
Read more about the services we provide to the healthcare sector at www.uhy-uk.com/healthcare.
