Mental health and learning disability staff feature in top spot for embracing new ways of team working during COVID-19

Like many businesses and organisations Lincolnshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust (LPFT) has needed to adapt their way of working in light of social distancing measures and bans on non-essential travel, with many of their community and corporate teams now working from home to keep local healthcare services functioning.

As well as introducing a range of new digital ways of working to help clinicians keep in touch and support patients and carers, staff have also needed to change how they continue to work cohesively as a team and support each other.

A key part of the organisation’s strategy for continued collaboration and team working has been the national rollout of Microsoft Teams to all NHS trusts by NHS Digital.

LPFT has over 50 sites dispersed across Lincolnshire and North East Lincolnshire, so with restrictions on travel and being able to see patients and colleagues face to face, using Microsoft Teams and other video conference technology has been vital and quickly become normal day-to-day practice for many staff.

LPFT staff have embraced the use of Microsoft Teams so much that it has regularly featured in the top 10 of NHS trusts nationally using the platform and at one point recently featured in the number one position. An impressive position given there are 3,170 other NHS organisations rolling out Microsoft Teams and LPFT is one of the smaller trusts to use the platform, with 2,544 active staff accounts.

As of 23 May LPFT staff had conducted 79,600 private chats with other staff members or partner organisations, taken part in over 3,400 video calls and almost 3,000 collaborative virtual meetings since the launch in April. Furthermore, 58% of LPFT staff are now actively using Microsoft Teams – the highest proportion of staff nationally in comparison to other NHS trusts in the rollout.

Sarah Connery, Director of Finance and Information, who leads the Trust’s digital programme was incredibly proud of how staff have adapted to new ways of working.

“We are incredibly proud of, not only the pace our IT and informatics team has been able to rollout the new software, but also how staff across the organisation have embraced this new virtual way of working.

“It is a credit to everyone at how flexible and adaptable they have been in the current situation and how positively they have embraced dramatic changes in working circumstances for many of our teams.

“Our performance data, and how this compares nationally, also demonstrates how well connected we are within our organisation and that communication is thriving despite us being away from each other.”

LPFT continues to adapt and introduce new technologies to support our staff and patients and carers during this time.  The Trust will be seeking feedback from staff, patients and carers on the changes in how the Trust delivers patient care, and is keen to learn if people would welcome the continued use of digital platforms in the future.