NHS Midlands and Lancashire Commissioning Support Unit

5 December 2023

Upholding equality, diversity, and inclusion in times of financial cutbacks

Robert Beardall, Inclusion Unit Project Manager, MLCSU As a professional navigating the financial landscape of the NHS and large…

5 December 2023

New partnership to ensure a robust continuing healthcare assessment service

We are excited to announce a partnership between NHS Midlands and Lancashire CSU’s Personalised Healthcare Commissioning Team and Bristol,…

28 November 2023

Navigating new waters: The NHS’s response to financial strain and industrial action

Nicola Ainscough, Head of System Delivery, MLCSU The recent communication from NHS England, referencing the letter titled ‘Addressing the…

22 November 2023

New podcast: How automated innovations are helping to reduce hospital waiting times

Recorded live at the Digital Healthcare Show 2023, host Andy Downton engages in a captivating conversation with Priyantha Jayawardane,…

14 November 2023

NHS Midlands and Lancashire CSU exhibiting at NHS Providers Show

We are excited to share that we will be participating in the upcoming NHS Providers Show on 14-15 November.…

13 November 2023

Navigating winter challenges with a proactive resilience strategy

Our strategy in navigating winter challenges enabled real-time monitoring and prompt adjustments in urgent and emergency care capacity, significantly…

10 November 2023

Enhancing equality impact assessments at Terrence Higgins Trust

The Inclusion Unit’s workshops significantly improved Terrence Higgins Trust’s approach to equality impact assessments, fostering deeper engagement, understanding, and…

9 November 2023

Driving healthcare transformation through data-driven intelligence

We achieved a system-wide enhancement in healthcare service delivery, decision-making efficiency, and operational effectiveness through advanced data management and…

8 November 2023

New podcast: Our Head of Safeguarding on a complex mental capacity case

Welcome to our new podcast series, “Inside MLCSU”, and our first episode about the intricate case of Rose –…

7 November 2023

Join us for an insightful session at Access All Areas 2023 with Dr Sam Gower

We are delighted to announce that Dr Sam Gower, Clinical Director for Personalised Healthcare Commissioning at NHS Midlands and…

3 November 2023

Examining health inequalities among people with learning disabilities in Leicester, Leicestershire, and Rutland

This study revealed significant health disparities among people with learning disabilities in Leicester, Leicestershire, and Rutland, prompting targeted prevention…

2 November 2023

Highlights from the NHS-R/NHS.pycom Conference 2023: Fostering collaboration and innovation in healthcare analytics

At this year’s NHS-R/NHS.pycom Conference 2023, the NHS-R Community and its co-community NHS.pycom put together an exciting event to…

1 November 2023

Revisit the first national Health and Care Analytics (HACA) Conference 2023

Health and Care Analytics (HACA) 2023 was the first national annual conference bringing together analysts and promoting, celebrating and…

16 October 2023

Hope and Honesty: Reflections on NHS Employers Strategic Workforce Conference  

Adam Burgess-Evans, Deputy Director of People, MLCSU Attendance at the NHS Employers Strategic Workforce Conference last week proved to…

13 October 2023

Empowering Rose: Court of Protection and exemplary application of the Mental Capacity Act

We supported an integrated care board (ICB) to assess the mental capacity of a patient with complex issues, represented…

13 October 2023

Strengthening Dudley Integrated Health and Care Trusts operations through programme management

Our programme management capabilities significantly enhanced the operations of Dudley Integrated Health and Care Trust, ensuring timely project completion…

11 October 2023

Exploring the future of patient care at the Patient Flow Conference 2023

We’re pleased to announce that Kelly Bishop, Assistant Director of Nursing and Urgent Care at NHS Midlands and Lancashire…

10 October 2023

Supporting an integrated care board’s achievement of the race equality code quality mark

Our collaboration resulted in Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent Integrated Care Board (ICB) becoming the first Integrated Care Board in the…

6 October 2023

Meet the Future of Healthcare Management: EMS+ by MLCSU

As the NHS England deadline for establishing a digital solution looms closer, healthcare providers are in a race against…

29 September 2023

Join us at the Elective Care Conference South 2023

We are excited to share that NHS Midlands and Lancashire CSU (MLCSU) will be both exhibiting and speaking at…

28 September 2023

Unlocking collaboration and efficiency: Introducing our organisational GitHub account and R package 

What are these game-changing tools?  GitHub: the hub of collaboration  Scott Johnson, Business Intelligence Lead, MLCSU The NHS Midlands…

27 September 2023

IT integration and facility upgrade for the Shawbirch Medical Centre

Our Digital Transformation team seamlessly transitioned Shawbirch Medical Centre to their new facility, introducing advanced IT systems, successfully integrating…

25 September 2023

Digital roadmap for implementing a primary care network clinical system hub

We helped implement a clinical system hub which led to significant cost savings, enhanced efficiency, and halved GP time…

21 September 2023

Stopping over medication of people with a learning disability, autism or both (STOMP) 

We tackled overmedication in individuals with learning disabilities and autism by upskilling primary care pharmacists, facilitating structured medication reviews,…

19 September 2023

Two awards at the HSJ Patient Safety Awards

We are thrilled to announce that our Medicines Management and Optimisation team has won two awards for Improving Medicines…

5 September 2023

Join us at The Pharmacy Show 2023

Join us at The Pharmacy Show on 15-16 October 2023 to learn how NHS Commissioning Support Units (CSUs) help…

4 September 2023

Excellence in Informatics Accreditation achieved

We are thrilled to announce that our Data, Digital and Technology directorate has achieved the prestigious “Excellence in Informatics”…

1 September 2023

LDA project shortlisted for the 2023 HSJ Awards

NHS Midlands and Lancashire CSU (MLCSU) is delighted to announce that our work to develop a community of practice…

25 August 2023

Preventing cardiovascular diseases through lipid therapy modification 

We adopted a systematic strategy to identify primary and secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease which resulted in enhanced lipid…

25 August 2023

Blog: NHS Long Term Plan – is Generation Z going to be the answer? 

Adam Burgess-Evans, Deputy Director of People, MLCSU As numerous 16 and 18 year olds in England receive their GCSE…

17 August 2023

Improving the safety of patients prescribed clozapine

Our partnership with a local mental health trust resulted in advancements in addressing inadequate clozapine documentation, leading to improved…

14 August 2023

Improving outcomes for vulnerable residents in Lancashire and South Cumbria

Our Business Intelligence team’s data-driven approach led to: improved care access, lowered acute service demand, and empowered patients, making…

2 August 2023

Inhaler prescribing errors: Identifying risks and improving patient safety

We improved patient safety and raised awareness across GPs, hospitals and community pharmacy of the risks of prescribing inhalers…

31 July 2023

Improving epilepsy services and reducing health inequalities

We brought together patients, experts and care system partners to identify areas of concern which contribute to premature avoidable…

18 July 2023

Improving the quality of life and tackling premature mortality for people with a learning disability,…

NHS Midlands and Lancashire Commissioning Support Unit (MLCSU), in partnership with national experts at the University of Plymouth, Cornwall…

18 July 2023

Bespoke coaching to support staff through new or difficult situations 

We supported staff through challenging situations, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, organisational change, and developing communication skills which resulted…

17 July 2023

Understanding mental health attendance in Emergency Departments

Our dashboard on mental health attendance in Emergency Departments empowered commissioners and providers to identify care variations, establish baselines,…

10 July 2023

Recognising the challenge and harnessing the potential of the long-term workforce plan

Last week saw the launch of the much-awaited Long-Term Workforce Plan for the NHS.  It is evident that the…

5 July 2023

Health and Care Analytics Conference

We are pleased to announce the first national Health and Care Analytics Conference organised by The Strategy Unit and…

5 July 2023

NHS-funded nursing care reviews

Efficiently completing overdue NHS-funded nursing care reviews within budget, our team ensured individuals’ health and social care needs were…

26 June 2023

Enhancing elective surgery outcomes

Our expertise in information governance has played a crucial role in improving surgical outcomes through the Surgery Hero project,…

22 June 2023

Finalists for three more nominations at HSJ Patient Safety Awards 2023

NHS Midlands and Lancashire CSU (MLCSU) has received three further nominations at the HSJ Patient Safety Awards in addition…

22 June 2023

Patient flow efficiency in five acute and community trusts

We successfully improved patient flow efficiency in five acute and community trusts, achieving zero ambulance delays, reducing handover times,…

19 June 2023

Proud to announce ISO 27001 and ISO 9001 accreditations

We are delighted to share that our customer finance team has been awarded the globally recognised ISO 27001 and…

19 June 2023

Reducing mortality project shortlisted for HSJ Patient Safety Award

The NHS Midlands and Lancashire CSU (MLCSU) is thrilled to share that our project to reduce mortality in people…

15 June 2023

Increasing patient referrals to the National Diabetes Prevention Programme

By implementing effective strategies, we increased patient referrals to the National Diabetes Prevention Programme. The number of primary care…

25 May 2023

UK National GO Awards Shortlists MLCSU for Collaborative Procurement Initiative 

We are delighted to share the news that our collaborative endeavour with the North Midlands and Black Country Procurement…

23 May 2023

Supporting the delivery of the Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent ICS green plan 

Our support in developing the Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent ICS green plan resulted in a robust and deliverable plan that…

19 May 2023

Building capable communities for learning disability and epilepsy

Join us for our webinar on building capable communities to tackle premature avoidable death in people with a learning…

16 May 2023

MLCSU to exhibit at NHS ConfedExpo 2023

We are pleased to announce that we will be exhibiting at the upcoming NHS ConfedExpo, the flagship health and…

12 May 2023

Support for ICB’s ledger build: Streamlining the transition to an integrated single financial environment

We streamlined the transition to an integrated single financial environment for 11 clinical commissioning groups to integrated care boards…

9 May 2023

E-learning product on net-zero carbon emissions target

Our e-learning product on net-zero carbon emissions raised awareness amongst staff of both organisational and national net-zero targets and…

3 May 2023

Using geo-spatial analysis to determine the impact of a hospital service reconfiguration

We provided detailed geo-spatial analysis that was central to determining the impact on patients in a complex hospital service…

28 April 2023

Positive impact of physiotherapy pilot programme 

We increased the coverage of physiotherapy services from approximately 3% to 15% and improved communication and reporting, resulting in…

24 April 2023

MLCSU named finalist in UK National GO Awards for contract management excellence

We are proud to announce that we have been shortlisted as a finalist for the UK National GO Awards…

17 April 2023

Join Us at the Digital Healthcare Show 2023

Three Commissioning Support Units (CSU’s) showcase digital healthcare solutions We are so excited to be exhibiting at the Digital…

14 April 2023

Risk and governance processes review and recommendations

We provided specialist support to an acute trust to accelerate improvement by developing a risk management program to reduce…

11 April 2023

From strategy to execution: Delivering a comprehensive digital transformation investment plan

We prepared a comprehensive three-year Digital Transformation Investment Plan that seamlessly integrated into the full Integrated Care Board (ICB)…

6 April 2023

MLCSU’s informatics team awarded ISDN ‘Excellence in Informatics Level 1 Certificate’

We are excited to share that our Informatics Team has been awarded the prestigious ISDN ‘Excellence in Informatics Level…

3 April 2023

Enhancing clinical audit processes: A review of an acute trust

We made a significant impact on an acute trust’s clinical audit processes by providing a thorough diagnostic report and…

31 March 2023

MLCSU Gender Pay Gap Report 2022

Midlands & Lancashire has published its Gender Pay Gap Report 2022.Download the report here.

30 March 2023

Improving risk management in an Acute Trust: A case study of streamlining internal processes

We undertook a diagnostic review that optimised the underutilised features of a risk management system and simplified data capture,…

27 March 2023

Dr Sam Gower to speak at NHS Continuing Healthcare Conference

We are thrilled to announce that Dr Sam Gower, CHC/IPA Clinical Services Director at MLCSU, will be a speaker…

23 March 2023

Join the Conversation: Transforming healthcare

The NHS is undergoing a significant transformation in the way it provides care and support for people with learning…

23 March 2023

Transforming healthcare: Developing Integrated Service Models for the Shrewsbury Health and Wellbeing Hub

We supported the development of a new Health and Wellbeing Hub in Shrewsbury by designing and agreeing on integrated…

20 March 2023

Evaluating a digital tool to manage caseload and care in community mental health​

We helped reduce mental health crisis rates and optimise user flows by introducing a new data capture tool, evaluating…

16 March 2023

Maximising value for limited funding: Efficiency analysis for COPD pathway

By analysing the results from stakeholder decision conferences along with the STAR tool, we empowered ICSs to efficiently allocate…

14 March 2023

A pledge to being green: MLCSU staff share personal and professional pledges to reduce carbon…

Empowering MLCSU staff to make personal and professional pledges for a sustainable future A staff campaign to mark the…

9 March 2023

Our Way Of Working: Embedding a new agile and flexible organisational culture at the CSU

Through extensive engagement and consultation processes, and a robust communications strategy, we successfully fostered a culture of agility and…

8 March 2023

Join us at the Clinical Pharmacy Congress 2023 to enhance patient care and learn from…

Join us at the Clinical Pharmacy Congress on 12-13 May 2023 for a face-to-face event at ExCeL London. This…

6 March 2023

Implementing the NHS smoking cessation service at University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust

We provided support to the University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust, enabling them to become an early adopter of…

3 March 2023

Developing shared values for a new PCN

We helped a primary care network create and establish a new set of shared meaningful values developed by staff…

2 March 2023

Making diamonds out of sausages

Data collection and storage is by no means an effortless automatic process; it can be expensive, complex and bureaucratic.…

27 February 2023

A win and a nomination for the National Apprenticeships Awards 2023

Ashley Burton, Senior Project Manager at MLCSU Earlier this week, Ashley Burton, Senior Project Manager at the NHS Midlands…

26 January 2023

Using automation to reduce waiting lists across two ICSs

Using a combination of automated chatbot, robotic process automation and human call agents, we helped trusts within two integrated…

18 January 2023

Blog: An expert guide on how to look at healthcare data

Primary Care Networks (PCNs) hold some of the richest data in health and care which can tell us a…

17 January 2023

Prioritising health and wellbeing to improve morale and performance

Our health and wellbeing strategy has proven to have improved the morale and performance of our staff. It was…

16 January 2023

Bringing partners together to ensure data protection for lung health checks

We helped a programme targeting ex-smokers with lung health checks to complete information governance procedures and ensure personal data…

13 January 2023

Raising awareness of health inequalities in the Midlands

We raised awareness of health inequalities among the 11 integrated care systems in the Midlands through promoting the government’s…

4 January 2023

Reuse, not replace: how the IT Procurement team is slashing our carbon footprint

As part of the NHS Midlands and Lancashire CSU’s Green Plan and commitment to reducing our carbon footprint, we…

3 January 2023

Discovering the requirements for implementing a common electronic patient record

Through over 330 hours of focused work on engagement and gap analysis, we identified and consolidated the requirements for…

20 December 2022

Tackling the cyber threat in Lancashire and South Cumbria

In the NHS, the cyber threat is ever present, and David Willis from our Digital Transformation team has been supporting the Lancashire…

19 December 2022

Prestigious award win for staff health and wellbeing strategy

We have been recognised by HR Magazine with an award for Best Health and Wellbeing Strategy as part of their HR Excellence…

16 December 2022

Empowering people living with pain to explore alternatives

We helped the Black Country Integrated Care Board deliver an engagement campaign to help people living with chronic pain…

15 December 2022

An innovative, accessible website for Norfolk and Waveney ICS

Our team delivered an innovative, interactive and accessible website to inform and educate patients and the public about the…

8 December 2022

Improving the quality of care at a nursing home in Lancashire

Our Medicines Optimisation in Care Homes team conducted structured medication reviews of patients at a nursing home, avoiding potential…

6 December 2022

MLCSU’s expert teams celebrate as two projects shortlisted for an HSJ Partnership Award

We’re proud to have played our part in truly impactful change programmes, which have been shortlisted for two HSJ…

2 December 2022

Blog: Ellen balanced her studies with a part-time role in Personalised Healthcare Commissioning, and she’s…

Our Temporary Staffing Admin Bank is a great starting point for anyone looking for flexible, varied work within the NHS. We…

28 November 2022

Utilising independent sector capacity to reduce waiting lists

We procured independent sector hospital capacity to divert patients at the point of referrals from NHS trusts to prevent…

24 November 2022

What is the impact of the menopause on women working in the NHS?

The Strategy Unit is excited to be launching its new in-depth report into how the menopause is affecting both individuals…

18 November 2022

Blog: Junior doctor Eilis gained valuable skills and experience during her time in the Personalised…

Our Temporary Staffing Admin Bank is a great starting point for anyone looking for flexible, varied work within the NHS. We…

9 November 2022

Improving communications reporting through an interactive, visual dashboard

Our interactive visual dashboard helped the NHS Leadership Academy report more easily and more clearly engagement with their website…

8 November 2022

Streamlining the month-end close process at an NHS trust

We reduced the month-end process by four days at an NHS trust and introduced new process to streamline payments…

4 November 2022

Blog: The sky’s the limit for Lauren after starting her NHS career in Personalised Healthcare…

Our Temporary Staffing Admin Bank is a great starting point for anyone looking for flexible, varied work within the NHS. We…

3 November 2022

Digital Innovation Unit achieve international accreditation

We are very proud to announce that our Digital Innovation Unit (DIU) have successfully achieved International Standard Organisation (ISO)…

31 October 2022

In-house team applies learning from SEO training to improve performance of new websites

We created a range of bespoke materials to deliver SEO training to the Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent Integrated Care Board…

25 October 2022

Delivering elective care planning support to every ICS in the country

We helped NHS England roll out a programme of planning support for the increase and improvement of elective care…

21 October 2022

Developing an accessible, user-friendly new website for Lincolnshire ICB

Designing and developing a new website for the Lincolnshire Integrated Care Board, we created an interactive platform for the…

19 October 2022

People Services team shortlisted for three awards

Our People Services team have been shortlisted for three awards. The HR Excellence Awards shine a light on best practice in HR and…