Background 

Community Interest Company, Provide Community has been transforming health and social care services across England through innovation. Last year, it won an award for its digital triage system that revolutionised data processing in children’s A&E. Building on that success Provide Community continues to use technology to enhance patient care, reduce hospital pressures and support clinicians. Its mission to ‘Transform Lives’ through care, innovation and compassion remains central, especially amid NHS challenges. Key to this is fostering a culture of innovation driven by bold ideas from colleagues.

Approach 

By prioritising people, teams collaborate to create innovative working methods and develop cost-effective software solutions, developed by subsidiary company Provide Digital, that deliver immediate, meaningful impact.

In 2023 Provide Community enhanced its innovation framework with new technologies to deliver care in creative ways. Central to its approach is the VirtuWard system, enabling hospital-level care at home, freeing up hospital beds and speeding up recovery. The ProQoL app, launched in 2023, revolutionises chronic wound care, improving patient outcomes and streamlining data for clinicians.

“Provide Community’s employee-led innovations save over 32,000 hospital bed days, improving care and reducing NHS pressures”

Provide Community has also expanded mobile healthcare with converted vans offering Long COVID clinics and other outreach programmes, including AR smart glasses for remote consultations. These digital innovations not only improve patient care but also reduce NHS workloads and waiting times. Partnerships with Integrated Care Boards and NHS Trusts ensure solutions are scalable and accessible, driving systemic change.

By creating hybrid teams of software developers and community nurses Provide Digital delivers rapid, fit-for-purpose solutions that meet frontline workers’ needs. Close collaboration during pilot phases secures buy-in from Trusts, management, nurses and patients. As an employee owned, community interest company, with its routes within the NHS, Provide Community and its subsidiary companies develop solutions at cost, sharing them across Trusts to save significant development expenses.

Outcomes

VirtuWard saved over 32,000 hospital bed days and reduced administrative burdens, with 5,000 patients treated at home in 2023 alone. Administrative time savings are significant, with up to 40 hours per month reclaimed per service head through automated reporting.

ProQoL has improved wound care across services while a Smart Referral System for musculoskeletal conditions cut waiting times from three months to one week in urgent cases, easing the burden on GP services. Innovation is embedded in the company’s culture, celebrated through its annual colleague awards.

By harnessing innovation and a people-first approach Provide Community continues to drive transformative change, improving care and alleviating pressures across the NHS.