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Are NHS Corporate Services Best Delivered by Shared Services?

May 12, 2010 in Uncategorized

The public sector appears to be set for increasingly widespread use of shared services for back-office functions. Most business leaders agree the strategy is effective but not everyone agrees.

The NHS has some previous experience of shared services and uses some shared service solutions currently. Thinking of the needs of your organisation, are these the right solutions for HR, Finance, Estates and IT services? Read the rest of this entry →

Tags: back office, efficiency, estates, finance, human resources, IT, nhs, poll, shared services No Comments »

by Attractor

New HR, Payroll and Finance Solutions for Northern Ireland

May 10, 2010 in Corporate Services, Public Services, Workforce Management

In Northern Ireland, the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety (DHSSPS) is looking for new enterprise IT systems.

New systems are needed for human resources (HR), payroll, travel and subsistence, finance, procurement and logistics.

The systems form an important part of its efficiency and process-streamlining efforts for the Business Services Organisation (BSO), which provides shared services for Northern Ireland’s health and social care sector.

This plans are to introduce new, simplified and standardised business processes which facilitate the delivery of efficiencies savings using work flow and self-service.

The DHSSPS published its tender in the Official Journal of the European Union on 6 May 2010, anticipating a 15 year contract for a system to be used for services provided to ten organisations plus systems support including a help-desk. Read the rest of this entry →

Tags: back office, efficiency, expenses, finance, HRIS, human resources, logistics, northern ireland, payroll, process review, procurement, shared services, standardisation No Comments »

by Attractor

NHS Shared Services – A Rising Tide

April 29, 2010 in Corporate Services, Public Services, Shared Services and Outsourcing

While the 2010 UK General Election is underway, the convention of “purdah” prevents the development or official announcements of new policy.

Purdah avoids binding a future government to current policy it disagrees with. It also presenting challenges for people delivering strategy and companies seeking to work with the public sector.

It seems clear that public services will need to look for efficiencies in their back office functions. Currently, however, few decisions are being taken to help drive forward delivery on this agenda.

The DoH has established a dedicated national workstream under the Improvement and Efficiency Programme. “Back office efficiency and optimal management”, led by Tony Spotswood (Chief Executive, Royal Bournemouth and Christchurch Foundation Trust) doesn’t have the “catchy” title.

Public attention is likely to focus on changes to clinical services arising under the QIPP programme. It’s obvious however the conclusions and adopted mechanisms from any “back office programme” will be important for the future of shared service delivery in the NHS. Read the rest of this entry →

Tags: back office, efficiency, finance, HR, nhs, OEP, QIPP, shared services No Comments »

by Attractor

Back Office: Risk Management or Red Tape?

October 19, 2009 in Corporate Services, Leading and Managing Results, Public Services, Workforce Management

Audit Checklist It may be credible to suggest public sector organisations are carrying out unnecessary activities. We yearn for the past, when common-sense applied, government was smaller, law simpler and we spent less time suing each other.

When things go wrong however, people (corralled by politicians and the media) clamour for tighter controls. These demands create pressure for scapegoats and better standards. Heads roll, controls are introduced …. and new monitoring work commences.

We want to have our cake and eat it!

In an increasingly risk-averse society, this struggle between “common sense” and control impacts operations in the workplace too. Many corporate teams exist to facilitate business effectiveness and create effective frameworks for risk management. This applies to human resources and payroll, finance, health and safety, information governance and information technology functions. Read the rest of this entry →

Tags: audit, controls, efficiency, finance, fraud, health and safety, human resources, information governance, information technology, payroll, process review, risk management No Comments »

by Attractor

Self Service – Gaining Benefits from ESR

September 28, 2009 in Corporate Services, Leading and Managing Results, Public Services, Workforce Management

Photo:Bitterjug, flickr

During 2008-09, NHS organisations deploying ESR (an ORACLE-based human resources and payroll solution) worked to address early challenges with initial deployment.

Most are now in the process of refining practice to gain benefits and many are at the early stages of planning to deploy self-service.

Organisations should not dismiss lightly the effort needed to address stakeholder concerns and revise business processes when implementing self service. Nor should the ongoing challenges of systems management, user administration and support be ignored.

It is possible, though, to address these challenges effectively and there are some large prizes availble for those who do so successfully. Read the rest of this entry →

Tags: benefits, change, consulting, delegation, ESR, ESR benefits, finance, human resources, nhs, ORACLE HRMS, payroll, risks, self service No Comments »

by Attractor

NHS Financial Pressures 2010-11

September 7, 2009 in Leading and Managing Results, Public Services

Photo:Money, joshuadavisphotography, flickr

NHS foundation trusts were warned his month they must plan for reductions in spending. This might require the NHS to simply do less rather than “more with less”.

While politicians have been keen to say they will protect health spending during the anticipated financial squeeze, the NHS regulator, Monitor, has suggested that financial assumptions made by many trusts plans, during early 2009, should be reconsidered.

Monitor spokesman Stephen Hay said: “Although we have found that NHS foundation trusts are consistently improving the quality and robustness of their financial planning, we are concerned that the plans prepared earlier this year may now prove over-optimistic.”

Read the rest of this entry →

Tags: efficiency, finance, nhs No Comments »

by Attractor

Shared Services Fails to Deliver

January 30, 2009 in Corporate Services, Shared Services and Outsourcing

Photo:Jurvetson, Flickr

The Department of Transport’s shared services centre, covering human resources, payroll and financial functions, was designed for seven agencies with over 20,000 staff.

Its implementation was heavily criticised during 2008, by both National Audit Office (NAO) and Public Accounts Committee (PAC).

By the end of 2008, only two of the seven agencies were using the new service and experiences were far from positive. Read the rest of this entry →

Tags: business process, finance, human resources, payroll, process review, shared services No Comments »

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You are browsing the archive for finance.

Are NHS Corporate Services Best Delivered by Shared Services?

New HR, Payroll and Finance Solutions for Northern Ireland

NHS Shared Services – A Rising Tide

Back Office: Risk Management or Red Tape?

Self Service – Gaining Benefits from ESR

NHS Financial Pressures 2010-11

Shared Services Fails to Deliver

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