Sussex NHS Commissioners

We had already been working with Sussex NHS Commissioners pre-COVID19. They were ahead of their time, already looking at how to move their people over to a cloud-based, remote-first way of working.  

Microsoft 365 was their long-term plan. But when the pandemic hit the executive team had to make a very quick decision that Teams would be how they cope with the transition to remote working. 

We came in to help change their internal working practises, with a focus on the behavioural shifts that would be required.

“It’s quite an achievement, to set this up in a completely virtual setting rather than a traditional classroom. The fact that we managed to train our workforce using the very product we were training them itself was quite impressive.”

Matthew King, Digital Development Manager, Sussex NHS Commissioners

The team at Sussex NHS Commissioners went from a 6-9 month plan to a 48 hour plan almost overnight. They went from 70-90% of office based staff, to nearly all staff working from home. With very little time to prepare. 

The pandemic posed a unique hurdle to overcome. Due to lockdown measures, in-person training could not be delivered. Like everyone, we had to adapt quickly to the situation and transfer our training from in-person to remote. We had to get people who do not use the Teams to be able to get into it in order to access the training.  

Sussex NHS Commissioners had just completed the move to a new office building in Worthing, which was based around a 60% occupancy, whereas their previous building was large enough to house every member of staff with their own desk. This new set up will provide a template for new offices, which they anticipate will now be used increasingly as spaces staff use when there is a need for face-to-face meetings. 

Alongside the delivery of 2 hours worth of training for all staff, we supported live events, carried out specialist floor walking, and also put a training management and plan in place.  
 
As a result, Sussex NHS Commissioners are now using Teams by default. And their people know how to use it effectively.  

We’ve absolutely loved working with Sussex NHS Commissioners. It’s been a real pleasure to enable the team to adapt and keep working efficiently during these challenging times. We’re looking forward to developing this relationship further and helping them to get to the next stage of their digital strategy. 

“To get the number of people we have to embrace the technology in such a short time is very rewarding. Our people can see how the technology can help them in their day-to-day lives and work more efficiently.” 

– Matthew King, Sussex NHS Commissioners