Harrogate District Hospital is spending nearly £1.2m on hiring management consultants to develop a culture of continuous improvement, the Stray Ferret can reveal.
Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust (HDFT) signed a contract with KPMG and Catalysis in March, which will run for 18 months to September 2024.
KPMG is one of the world’s largest multinational professional services companies, and Catalysis is a Wisconsin-based not-for-profit organisation dedicated to helping healthcare bodies become more efficient.
The continuous improvement programme, called HDFT Impact, will ultimately involve all 5,000-plus employees, who will be encouraged to share their knowledge with each other and come up with ways to improve the way the trust delivers its services.
In a statement sent to the Stray Ferret, a spokesperson said:
“It is our aim to embed improvement at the centre of our culture and operating model so we can provide the best quality, safest health and care services for our patients, children and the community; and make HDFT the best place to work for our colleagues.”
They added:
“There is no doubt that a steady stream of improvements, both big and small, can have transformational results.”
In recent years, KPMG and Catalysis have together worked with 16 NHS trusts, including Western Sussex, which became the first non-specialist trust to be rated outstanding in all areas by the Care Quality Commission.
In other cases, one trust saved £800,000 in theatre efficiencies, one increased surgeries per list by 25%, and another reduced falls among patients by 60%.
The spokesperson said:
“Continuous improvement is not a new concept at HDFT. It has been integral in helping us to develop our services and bring improvements for patients and colleagues for a long time – we have been using a lean quality improvement approach for over 10 years.
“We know this approach works and we’ve seen the improvements it can bring for patients and colleagues.”
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The HDFT Impact programme is being funded from the trust’s budget to procure and implement a new electronic patient record system.
The spokesperson said:
“Our EPR project is not just about providing an electronic system, but is an improvement programme enabled by technology to give our staff the opportunity to improve across the whole organisation.”
In May, it was reported that management consultants were being paid up to £3,000 a day for work within NHS England. At the time, Onay Kasab, national lead officer of trade union Unite, said the health service was being “plundered by private sector profiteers”. He added:
“The money would be much better spent providing a proper pay rise for NHS staff to end the recruitment and retention crisis that is crippling health services.”
HDFT’s deal with KPMG and Catalysis is costing the trust about £2,200 per day for the duration of the 18-month contract.
Asked if there had been any opposition or resistance from hospital staff to the hiring of external consultants, the spokesperson said:
North Yorkshire £176,000 robotics contract will not lead to job losses, says council“As an organisation, the majority of our colleagues are receptive to continuous improvement.
“Cultural change can be challenging, and a small number of people may be sceptical, but we believe that developing our continuous improvement programme is vital in our pursuit of excellence so that we can raise quality, reduce costs, explore better ways of delivering our services, and provide the best possible healthcare for those who need it.
“We hope that as the programme progresses and staff engage in it, all of our staff will recognise the huge benefits.”
North Yorkshire Council managers have said a £176,000 robotics contract will not lead to job losses.
The authority has commissioned Reading-based company T-Impact Limited to come up with automative robotic processes to free up work for staff.
The company has been contracted to carry out the work at a cost of £176,116.
This would include tasks such as changing an address, which would be done through automation rather than manually.
Council officials say the contract, which will run to May 2026, would be “better value for money”.
Madeline Hoskin, assistant director technology at North Yorkshire Council, said the move would also help the new council with its financial challenges.
She said:
“It is anticipated the use of this technology will bring about efficiencies to help counter the financial challenges we are facing, and it will be used for some of repetitive work to free up staff to do other more rewarding aspects of their job.
“The system also enables us to deliver services more efficiently, achieving better value for money.
“There are no projected job losses as a result of this project.”
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Harrogate Town captain Josh Falkingham signs two-year contract extension
Harrogate Town captain Josh Falkingham has signed a two-year contract extension.
The 32-year-old, who joined from Darlington in 2017, has made more than 150 appearances for the club in three separate divisions.
The deal will see Falkingham lead Town until the end of the 2024/25 season.
Falkingham said:
“I am absolutely delighted to have extended my stay for another two years. I really want to play my part in pushing the club forward in that time and together hopefully we can keep improving and pushing up the table.
“For me, it has always been about working hard and constantly trying to improve. I always push myself to give everything for this club and I will continue to do that.”
The 32-year-old has led Town to two promotions in his five-year stint.
Famously, Falkingham captained the side to a 3-1 play-off final victory over Notts County in 2020 which saw the club promoted to the English Football League for the first time in its history.
Town manager Simon Weaver said:
“Josh has played an instrumental part in the climb the club has been on in recent years. We are delighted that he has signed this extension.
“Players, teammates, staff and supporters can all see how much this club means to him and that passion and determination is a great attribute to have in any dressing room.”
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