As separate organisations, we all have our own goals and projects to improve the lives of the people we serve. However, the people we help often need support from multiple parts of our system. They don't care which organisation is responsible for each service they receive.
Our shared aim should be to provide support and care that feels seamless, regardless of which organisation is providing it. We want people to have a simple and timely experience when they need health and care services.
To achieve this, we need to work together across our digital systems. We must understand how people interact with our services, both in person and online, throughout their care journey. Our goal is to build a digital system that works well now and in the future.
One key aspect of building an efficient digital system is the principle of "doing things once." This means creating solutions that can be reused across different parts of our health and care partnership, rather than reinventing the wheel for each organisation or department. By doing things once, we can:
- Reduce duplication of effort and resources
- Ensure consistency in user experience across different services
- Speed up the development and implementation of new digital solutions
- Make it easier to maintain and update our systems
This approach requires collaboration and open communication across the system. We need to share our knowledge, best practices, and even our code to create a truly integrated digital ecosystem.
By embracing the "do once, use many times" philosophy, we can build a more efficient, cost-effective, and user-friendly digital health and care system that benefits both service providers and the people we serve.