Christie NHS Foundation Trust says it’s “transformed” patient pathways by employing AI process-mapping technology.
The system provides full visibility of operations to “reduce manual workload by up to 50%.”
The largest single-site cancer centre in Europe has just completed a 4-month project using Netcall’s Liberty Spark to map and analyse more than 70 care processes across 9 major patient pathways.
This was supported by digital transformation partner Differentis, to help the Trust find efficiency gains and free-up frontline workers.
“It’s been fantastic to see how Liberty Spark (with Differentis) has transformed how we work,” said Alistair Reid-Pearson, Chief Information Officer at The Christie.
“What used to take months – just to build a couple of workflows – now takes days. Getting there so fast has been a massive win. It’s made a real difference to how we deliver care. The work with Differentis and Liberty Spark is the foundation of transformational change. It’s a cornerstone for our ‘Future Christie’ programme.”
The project brought together more than 80 stakeholders to document how services are delivered, from referral to discharge.
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Using Liberty Spark, the team analysed the forms used in 2.8m submissions, to gain complete visibility of its digital landscape for the first time. They say what would have taken more than 18 months to achieve happened in just 4.
The initial findings showed that 30% of forms could be simplified or retired, while 50% directly supported clinical care. The data highlighted opportunities to reduce duplication, streamline operations, and cut manual data entry for nursing staff by up to 50%.
While it started out as a discovery exercise, it’s evolved into a live roadmap for continuous improvement.
“This project isn’t just a win for The Christie, it also aligns closely with the NHS Long Term Plan by improving efficiency, boosting productivity and making care more patient-centred,” said John Clarke, Head of Healthcare Solutions at Netcall.
“By mapping and streamlining workflows and reducing manual tasks, the Trust is freeing up staff time to focus on direct patient care, which supports the wider NHS goal of smarter, more sustainable services. What’s more, the approach is already being looked at by other Trusts as a blueprint for driving productivity improvements, showing that these benefits could ripple out across the NHS.”
