getUBetter project and change management

Opportunity

MSK conditions, including back pain, arthritis and muscle and joint injuries, have a large impact on people’s quality of life, the healthcare system and the economy.

According to NHS England, over 20M people in the UK suffer from an MSK condition and 30% of all GP consultations in England relate to MSK conditions. However, it is recognised that self-management of MSK conditions aids quicker recovery and getUBetter could play a key role in assisting the NHS with this approach.

getUBetter is a 24/7 digital platform that provides self-management support for all common MSK conditions. The platform assists patients in managing and confidently progressing through their recovery journey by providing daily individualised, evidence-based behavioural change techniques, symptom checking, helpful reminders, educational videos, tailored exercises and outcome measurements.

With increasing pressure on the healthcare system and funding, exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, the NHS is looking towards digital healthcare solutions to support its service provision. getUBetter assists by limiting unnecessary medicals appointments and prescriptions by encouraging patients to self-manage their health more effectively.

getUBetter currently covers 36% of all NHS integrated care systems (ICS) across England and following inclusion on the NHS innovation accelerator programme, which supports companies to scale promising solutions, growth in demand is anticipated.

To match increasing demand, getUBetter required specialised support to establish effective and efficient business processes, manage change and growth, develop its data analysis and reporting capability to manage projects with new NHS clients.

Solution

We provided getUbetter with management consultants from our business change team to support programme and change management. We were also able to offer project managers, data analysts, and various other expertise. Furthermore, we had health teams and digital capability teams that could be tapped into as needed.

We are managing new contracts with ICSs for getUBetter. This includes creating and managing a project communications plan, developing communications materials, engaging with primary and secondary healthcare settings to roll-out the platform, reporting on project implementation and uptake figures, and benefits realisation.

The secondees are using their project and change management expertise gained from a variety of sectors within Mott MacDonald to develop and improve existing business processes. This includes risk management, document configuration, change management and process mapping.

We are also providing support to getUBetter in data analysis, including the creation and enhancement of performance and reporting dashboards. These changes remove manual reporting on deployment progress and patient uptake to give better insight on outcomes and development of the business case for use by more ICSs.

Outcome

We have played a key role in facilitating the rapid growth of the getUbetter platform. Our involvement has enabled getUBetter to enhance its processes and systems, ensuring efficient project delivery and effective client engagement. We have implemented rigorous project management principles that not only support current operations but will support predicted future growth.

The introduction of live performance dashboards has not only provided the NHS with improved and up-to-date data but has also saved getUBetter time and effort. Previously, this data was manually collected, resulting in quickly outdated information.

Overall, getUBetter is a safe and secure medical system. It reduces workload across MSK pathways by helping people in their recovery through good self-management support and giving patients the confidence to better understand their journey to recovery. This is reflected in four times fewer GP appointments, 20% fewer physiotherapy referrals, a reduction in the number of people attending emergency departments and over 50% reduction in prescriptions for pain medications.

The social impact of the collaboration between getUBetter and Mott MacDonald has been significant. Through our support, a bespoke social value toolkit was developed, empowering getUBetter to effectively communicate the benefit of its services in procurement processes. As a result, getUBetter has incorporated social value considerations into its procurement strategies, ultimately maximising its impact on positive outcomes for the NHS and patients.